ersity  of  California 


9utnern  Regional 


Library  Pacilitv 


SPANISH    PAPERS    AND    OTHElT 

MISCELLANIES,   HITHERTO   UNPUBLISHED 
OR  UNCOLLECTED. 


WASHINGTON   IRVING. 


AP.KANGED    AND    EDITED    BY 


PIERRE    M.    IRVING. 


IN   TWO   VOLUMES. 
VOL.  I. 


NEW   YORK: 

G.  P.   PUTNAM   AND  SON,   661    BROADWAY. 
OPPOSITE  BOND  STREET. 

1867. 


PS 

205Z 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1866,  by 

PIERRE  M.  IRVING, 
in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  for  the  Southern  District  of  New  York. 


One  hundred  copies  printed  on  larye  paper. 


RIVERSIDE.    CAMBRIDGE  : 

STEREOTYPED    AND    PRINTED    B7 
II.    O.    HOUOHTON    AND   COMPANY 


PREFACE  BY   THE  EDITOR. 


IN  offering  to  the  public  two  additional  volumes  of  the 
writings  of  Washington  Irving,  it  is  proper  to  state  that 
the  contents,  in  large  measure,  consist  of  the  scattered 
productions  of  his  pen  which  it  was  his  intention  to  have 
brought  together  and  included  in  the  collective  edition 
of  his  works.  He  made  some  slight  preparation  towards 
this  object  previous  to  his  death,  but  left  his  purpose  un 
fulfilled.  I  have  now,  after  long  hesitation,  gathered  up 
these  scattered  fragments,  in  pursuance  of  his  intention 
and  in  answer  to  repeated  demands  to  make  the  collec 
tion  of  his  writings  complete. 

For  the  portion  of  the  volumes  here  given  to  the  press 
for  the  first  time,  I  have  drawn  upon  the  unpublished 
manuscripts  bequeathed  to  me  by  his  Will.  It  is  illus 
trative  of  the  wars  between  the  Spaniards  and  the  Moors, 
and  consists  of  the  "  Legend  of  Pelayo,"  the  "  Chronicle  of 
Count  Fernan  Gonzalez,"  the  most  illustrious  hero  of  his 
epoch,  who  united  the  kingdoms  of  Leon  and  Castile, 
and  the  "  Chronicle  of  Fernando  the  Saint,"  that  renowned 
champion  of  the  Faith,  under  whom  the  greater  part  ,of 


IV  PREFACE    BY    THE    EDITOR. 

Spain  was  rescued  from  the  Moors.     I  have  selected  these 
themes  from  a  mass  of  unpublished  manuscript  that  came 
into  my  hands  at  the  death  of  Mr.  Irving,  because  they 
bore  the  impress  of  being  most  nearly,  though  not  fully, 
prepared  for  the  press,  and  because  they  had  for  him  a 
special  fascination,  arising  in  part,  perhaps,  from  his  long 
residence  in  that  romantic  country.     "  These  old  Morisco 
Spanish  subjects,"  is  the  language  of  one  of  his  published 
letters,  "  have  a  charm  that  makes  me  content  to  write 
about  them  at  half  price.      They  have    so  much    that  is 
high-minded  and  chivalrous  and  quaint  and    picturesque, 
and  at  times  half  comic,  about  them."     In  another  letter, 
written  about  the   same  time,  in  1847,  he  remarks  :    "  I 
have  now  complete,  though   not   thoroughly  finished  off, 
the  '  Chronicle  of  Pelayo,'  the  '  Chronicle  of  Count  Fernan 
Gonzalez,'  the  '  Chronicle  of  the  Dynasty  of  the  Ommiades 
in  Spain,'  giving  the   succession  of  those  brilliant   sover 
eigns  from  the  time   that  the    Moslem   Empire  in  Spain 
was  united  under  the  first  and  fell  to  pieces  at  the  death 
of  the    last  of  them  ;   also    the    '  Chronicle   of   Fernando 
the  Saint,'  with  the  reconquest  of  Seville.  .....  Some 

parts  of  these  Chronicles  run  into  a  quiet  drolling  vein, 
especially  in  treating  of  miracles  and  miraculous  events,  on 
which  occasion  Fray  Antonio  Agapida  comes  to  my  as 
sistance,  with  his  zeal  for  the  Faith  and  his  pious  hatred 
of  the  infidels." 

Of  the  "  Chronicle  of  the  Ommiades,"  which  is  volu 
minous,  covering  a  period  of  two  hundred  and  seventy- 
five  years,  I  have  given  only  the  story  of  Abderahman,  the 


PREFACE    BY    THE    EDITOR.  V 

Founder  of  the  Dynasty,  which  had  been  already  pub 
lished,  though  not  precisely,  as  is  elsewhere  indicated,  in 
the  form  in  which  it  is  here  reproduced. 

In  forming  an  estimate  of  these  Spanish  memorials,  the 
reader  will  bear  in  mind  that  they  have  not  received  the 
final  revision  of  the  author.  I  give  them  as  they  came 
into  my  hands,  and  in  the  condition  of  preparation  above 
described. 

A  limited  edition  of  the  "  Legends  of  the  Conquest  of 
Spain,"  with  which  the  first  volume  commences,  was  pub 
lished  in  1835,  and  has  long  ago  been  exhausted.  These 
Legends,  consisting  of  the  "  Legend  of  Don  Roderick,"  the 
"  Legend  of  the  Subjugation  of  Spain,"  the  "  Legend  of 
Count  Julian  and  his  Family,"  formed  No.  III.  of  the 
"  Crayon  Miscellany."  They  have  been  so  long  out  of 
print,  that,  to  the  present  generation  of  readers,  they  will 
probably  be  no  less  novel  than  the  Chronicles  which  fol 
low  them,  and  which  receive  publicity  for  the  first  time. 


CONTENTS  OF  VOLUME.  I. 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.. 

CHAPTER  I.  PACK 

Of  the  Ancient  Inhabitants  of  Spain.  —  Of  the  Misrule  of  Witiza  the  Wicked.  .7 

CHAPTER  II. 
The  Rise  of  Don  Roderick.  —  His  Government 13 

CHAPTER  III. 
Of  the  Loves  of  Roderick  and  the  Princess  Elyata 17 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Of  Count  Julian 22 

CHAPTER  V. 
The  Story  of  Florinda 25 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Don  Roderick  receives  an  Extraordinary  Embassy 33 

CHAPTER  VII. 
Story  of  the  Marvellous  and  Portentous  Tower 37 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Count  Julian.  —  His  Fortunes  in  Africa.  —  He  hears  of  the  Dishonor  of  his 
Child.  —  His  Conduct  thereupon 46 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Secret  Visit  of  Count  Julian  to  the  Arab  Camp.  —  First  Expedition  of  Tanc  el 
Tuerto .  ...53 


viii  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  X.                                              PACK 
Letter  of  Muza  to  the  Caliph.  —  Second  Expedition  of  Taric  el  Tuerto 57 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Measures  of  Don  Roderick  on  Hearing  of  the  Invasion.  —  Expedition  of  Ataul- 
pho.  —  Vision  of  Taric 62 

CHAPTER  XII. 
Battle  of  Calpe.  — Fate  of  Ataulpho 67 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
Terror  of  the  Country.  —  Roderick  rouses  himself  to  Arms 73 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

March  of  the  Gothic  Army.  —  Encampment  on  the  Banks  of  the  Guadalete. 
Mysterious  Predictions  of  a  Palmer.  —  Conduct  of  Pelistes  thereupon 78 

CHAPTER  XV. 
Skirmishing  of  the  Armies.  —  Pelistes  and  his  Son.  —  Pelistes  and  the  Bishop .  83 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Traitorous  Message  of  Count  Julian 87 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
Last  Day  of  the  Battle 90 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
The  Field  of  Battle  after  the  Defeat.  —  The  Fate  of  Roderick 95 

ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  THE  FOREGOING  LEGEND. 

The  Tomb  of  Roderick 99 

The  Cave  of  Hercules ,  . .  100 


LEGEND  OF  THE  SUBJUGATION  OF  SPAIN. 

CHAPTER  I. 

Consternation  of  Spain.  —  Conduct  of  the  Conquerors.  —  Missives  between 
Taric  and  Muza 107 

CHAPTER  II. 
Capture  of  Granada.  —  Subjugation  of  the  Alpuxarra  Mountains 112 


CONTENTS.  ix 

CHAPTER  III.  PACK 

Expedition  of  Magued  against  Cordova.  — Defence  of  the  Patriot  Pelistes. .  118 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Defence  of  the  Convent  of  St.  George  by  Pelistes 122 

CHAPTER  V. 
Meeting  between  the  Patriot  Pelistes  and  the  Traitor  Julian 127 

CHAPTER  VI. 

How  Taric  el  Tuerto  captured  the  City  of  Toledo  through  the  aid  of  the 
Jews,  and  how  he  found  the  Famous  Talismanic  Table  of  Solomon 131 

CHAPTER  VII. 
Muza  ben  Nosier;  his  Entrance  into  Spain,  and  Capture  of  Carmona 137 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Muza  marches  against  the  City  of  Seville 141 

CHAPTER  IX. 
Muza  besieges  the  City  of  Merida 143 

CHAPTER  X. 
Expedition  of  Abdalasis  against  Seville  and  the  "  Land  of  Tadmir." 150 

CHAPTER  XI. 
Muza  arrives  at  Toledo.  —  Interview  between  him  and  Taric 158 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Muza  prosecutes  the  Scheme  of  Conquest.  —  Siege  of  Saragossa.  —  Complete 
Subjugation  of  Spain 162 

CHAPTER   XIII. 

Feud  between  the  Arab  Generals.  —  They  are  summoned  to  appear  before 
the  Caliph  at  Damascus.  —  Reception  of  Taric 166 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Muza  arrives  at  Damascus.  —  His  Interview  with  the  Caliph.  —  The  Table 
of  Solomon.  —  A  rigorous  Sentence 171 

CHAPTER  XV. 
Conduct  of  Abdalasis  as  Emir  of  Spain 175 


X  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XVI.                                         PAGE 
Loves  of  Abdalasis  and  Exilona 1^9 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
Fate  of  Abdalasis  and  Exilona.  —  Death  of  Muza 183 


LEGEND  OF  COUNT  JULIAN  AND  HIS   FAMILY. 

Legend  of  Count  Julian  and  his  Family 191 

Note  to  the  preceding  Legend 204 


THE  LEGEND  OF  PELAYO. 

CHAPTER  I. 

Obscurity  of  the  Ancient  Chronicles.  —  The  Loves  of  Dofia  Lucia  and  the 
Duke  Favila.  —  Birth  of  Pelayo,  and  what  happened  thereupon ;  his 
Early  Fortunes,  and  his  Tutelage  under  the  Veteran  Count  Grafeses 209 

CHAPTER  II. 
What  happened  to  Pelayo  at  the  Court  of  Witiza 217 

CHAPTER  III. 

How  Pelayo  lived  among  the  Mountains  of  Cantabria.  — His  Adventure 
with  the  Needy  Hidalgo  of  Gascony  and  the  Rich  Merchant  of  Bordeaux. 
Discourse  of  the  Holy  Hermit 220 

CHAPTER  IV. 
Pilgrimage  of  Pelayo,  and  what  befell  him  on  his  Return  to  Spain 230 

CHAPTER  V. 
The  Battle  of  Covadonga 236 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Pelayo  becomes  King  of  Leon.  —  His  Death 242 


CONTENTS.  XI 

ABDERAHMAJST  :  THE  FOUNDER  OF  THE  DYNASTY  OF 
THE  OMMIADES  IN  SPAIN. 

CHAPTER  I.                                         PAGE 
Of  the  Youthful  Fortunes  of  Abderahman 247 

CHAPTER  II. 
Landing  of  Abderahman  in  Spain.  —  Condition  of  the  Country 255 

CHAPTER  III. 

Triumphs  of  Abderahman.  —  The  Palm-Tree  which  he  planted,  and  the 
Verses  he  composed  thereupon.  —  Insurrections.  —  His  Enemies  subdued. 
Undisputed  Sovereign  of  the  Moslems  of  Spain.  —  Begins  the  famous 
Mosque  in  Cordova.  —  His  Death : 258 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ,  COUNT  OF 
CASTILE. 

Introduction 277 

CHAPTER  I. 

I:  istallation  of  Fernan  Gonzales  as  Count  of  Castile.  —  His  First  Campaign 
against  the  Moors.  — Victory  of  San  Quirce.  —  How  the  Count  disposed  of 
the  Spoils 279 

CHAPTER  II. 

Of  the  Sally  from  Burgos,  and  Surprise  of  the  Castle  of  Lara.  —  Capitula 
tion  of  the  Town.  —  Visit  to  Alfonso  the  Great,  King  of  Leon 284 

CHAPTER  III. 

Expedition  against  the  Fortress  of  Mugnon.  —  Desperate  Defence  of  the 
Moors.  — Enterprise  against  Castro  Xeriz 288 

CHAPTER  IV. 

How  the  Count  of  Castile  and  the  King  of  Leon  make  a  Triumphant  Foray 
into  the  Moorish  Country.  —  Capture  of  Salamanca.  —  Of  the  Challenge 
brought  by  the  Herald,  and  of  the  Count's  Defiance 29C 

CHAPTER  V. 

A  Night  Assault  upon  the  Castle  of  Carazo.  —  The  Moorish  Maiden  who 
betrayed  the  Garrison 292 


Xll  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VI.  PAGE 

Death  of  Alfonso,  King  of  Leon. —The  Moors  determined  to  strike  a  fresh 
Blow  at  the  Count,  who  summons  all  Castile  to  his  Standard.  —  Of  his 
Hunt  in  the  Forest  while  waiting  for  the  Enemy,  and  of  the  Hermit  that  he 
met  with 296 

CHAPTER  VII. 
The  Battle  of  the  Ford  of  Cascajares 300 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Of  the  Message  sent  by  the  Count  to  Sancho  II.  King  of  Navarre,  and  the 
Reply.  —  Their  Encounter  in  Battle 303 

CHAPTER  IX. 

How  the  Count  of  Toulouse  makes  a  Campaign  against  Castile,  and  how  he 
returns  in  his  Coffin 307 

CHAPTER  X. 

How  the  Count  went  to  receive  the  Hand  of  a  Princess,  and  was  thrown 
into  a  Dungeon.  —  Of  the  Stranger  that  visited  him  in  his  Chains,  and  of 
the  Appeal  that  he  made  to  the  Princess  for  his  Deliverance 310 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Of  the  Meditations  of  the  Princess,  and  their  Result.  —  Her  Flight  from  the 
Prison  with  the  Count,  and  Perils  of  the  Escape.  —  The  Nuptials 314 

CHAPTER  XII. 

King  Garcia  confined  in  Burgos  by  the  Count.  —  The  Princess  intercedes 
for  his  Release 31!i 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Of  the  Expedition  against  the  ancient  City  of  Sylo.  —  The  Unwitting  Tres 
pass  of  the  Count  into  a  Convent,  and  his  Compunction  thereupon 320 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Of  the  Moorish  Host  that  came  up  from  Cordova,  and  how  the  Count  re 
paired  to  the  Hermitage  of  San  Pedro,  and  prayed  for  Success  against 
them,  and  received  Assurance  of  Victory  in  a  Vision.  —  Battle  of  Hazinas.323 

CHAPTER  XV. 

The  Count  imprisoned  by  the  King  of  Leon. — The  Countess  concerts  his 
Escape.  — Leon  and  Castile  united  by  the  Marriage  of  the  Prince  Ordoiio 
with  Urraca,  the  Daughter  of  the  Count  by  his  first  Wife 329 


CONTENTS.  Xll] 

CHAPTER  XVI.  PAGE 

Moorish  Incursion  into  Castile.  —  Battle  of  San  Estevan.  — Of  Pascual  Vivas 
and  the  Miracle  that  befell  him.  —  Death  of  Ordono  III 333 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

King  Sancho  the  Fat.  —  Of  the  Homage  he  exacted  from  Count  Fernan 
Gonzalez,  and  of  the  Strange  Bargain  that  he  made  with  him  for  the  Pur 
chase  of  his  Horse  and  Falcon 339 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
Further  of  the  Horse  and  Falcon. . .  v 343 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
The  last  Campaign  of  Count  Fernan.  —  His  Death 346 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO  THE  SAINT. 

CHAPTER  I. 

The  Parentage  of  Fernando.  —  Queen  Berenguela.  —  The  Laras.  —  Don  Al- 
var  conceals  the  Death  of  King  Henry.  —  Mission  of  Queen  Berenguela 
to  Alfonso  IX.  —  She  renounces  the  Crown  of  Castile  in  Favor  of  her  Son 
Fernando 353 

CHAPTER  II. 
King  Alfonso  of  Leon  ravages  Castile.  —  Captivity  of  Don  Alvar.  —  Death 

the  Laras 359 

CHAPTER  III. 

Marriage  of  King  Fernando.  —  Campaign  against  the  Moors. — Aben  Mo 
hammed,  King  of  Baeza,  declares  himself  the  Vassal  of  King  Fernando. 
Thejr  march  to  Jaen.  —  Burning  of  the  Tower.  —  Fernando  commences 
the  building  of  the  Cathedral  at  Toledo 365 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Assassination  of  Aben  Mohammed. — His  Head  carried  as  a  Present  to 
Abullale,  the  Moorish  King  of  Seville.  —  Advance  of  the  Christians  into 
Andalusia.  —  Abullale  purchases  a  Truce .x 369 

CHAPTER  V. 

Aben  Hud.  —  Abullale  purchases  another  Year's  Truce.  —  Fernando  hears 
of  the  Death  of  his  Father,  the  King  of  Leon,  while  pressing  the  Siege  of 
Jaen.  —  He  becomes  Sovereign  of  the  two  Kingdoms  of  Leon  and  Castile.  372 


XIV  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  VI.  PACK 

Expedition  of  the  Prince  Alonzo  against  the  Moors.  —  Encamps  on  the 
Banks  of  the  Guadalete.  —  Aben  Hud  marches  out  from  Xerez  and  gives 
Battle.  —  Prowess  of  Garcia  Perez  de  Vargas.  —  Flight  and  Pursuit  of  the 
Moors.  —  Miracle  of  the  Blessed  Santiago 375 

CHAPTER  VII. 
A  Bold  Attempt  upon  Cordova,  the  Seat  of  Moorish  Power 382 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

A  Spy  in  the  Christian  Camp.  —  Death  of  Aben  Hud.  —  A  Vital  Blow  to 
Moslem  Power.  —  Surrender  of  Cordova  to  King  Fernando 385 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Marriage  of  King  Fernando  to  the  Princess  Juana.  —  Famine  at  Cordova. 
Don  Alvar  Perez 391 

CHAPTER  X. 

Aben  Alhamar,  Founder  of  the  Alhambra.  —  Fortifies  Granada  and  makes 
it  his  Capital.  —  Attempts  to  Surprise  the  Castle  of  Martos.  —  Peril  of  the 
Fortress.  — A  Woman's  Stratagem  to  save  it.  —  Diego  Perez,  the  Smasher. 
Death  of  Count  Alvar  Perez  de  Castro 394 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Aben  Hudiel,  the  Moorish  King  of  Murcia,  becomes  tne  Vassal  of  King 
Fernando.  — Aben  Alhamar  seeks  to  drive  the  Christians  out  of  Andalusia. 
Fernando  takes  the  Field  against  him. — Ravages  of  the  King.  —  His 
last  Meeting  with  the  Queen- Mother 399 

CHAPTER  XII. 

King  Fernando's  Expedition  to  Andalusia.  —  Siege  of  Jaen.  —  Secret  De 
parture  of  Aben  Alhamar  for  the  Christian  Camp.  —  He  acknowledges 
himself  the  Vassal  of  the  King,  who  enters  Jaen  in  Triumph 406 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Axataf,  King  of  Seville,  exasperated  at  the  Submission  of  the  King  of 
Granada.  —  Rejects  the  Propositions  of  King  Fernando  for  a  Truce.  —  The 
latter  is  encouraged  by  a  Vision  to  undertake  the  Conquest  of  the  City 
of  Seville.  — Death  of  Queen  Berenguela.  —  A  Diplomatic  Marriage 410 

CHAPTER   XIV. 

Investment  of  Seville.  —  All  Spain  aroused  to  Arms.  —  Surrender  of  Alcala 
del  Rio.  —  The  Fleet  of  Admiral  Ramon  Bonifaz  advances  up  the  Gua 
dalquivir.  —  Don  Pt-layo  Corvea,  Master  of  Santiago.  —  His  Valorous 
Deeds  and  the  Miracles  wrought  in  his  behalf 415 


« 


CONTENTS.  XV 

CHAPTER  XV.                                         PACK 
King  Fernando  changes  his  Camp.  —  Garci  Perez  and  the  Seven  Moors 421 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Of  the  Raft  built  by  the  Moors,  and  how  it  was  boarded  by  Admiral  Boni- 
faz. —  Destruction  of  the  Moorish  Fleet.  —  Succor  from  Africa 426 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Of  the  Stout  Friar  Ferran  Ruyz,  and  how  he  rescued  his  Cattle  from  the 
Moors.  —  Further  Enterprises  of  the  Prior,  and  of  the  Ambuscade  into 
which  he  fell 429 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Bravado  of  the  Three  Cavaliers. — Ambush  at  the  Bridge  over  the  Guadayra. 
Desperate  Valor  of  Garci  Perez.  —  Grand  Attempt  of  Admiral  Bonifaz  on 
the  Bridge  of  Boats.  —  Seville  dismembered  from  Triana 433 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
Investment  of  Triana.  —  Garci  Perez  and  the  Infanzon • 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Capitulation   of  Seville.  —  Dispersion  of  the  Moorish  Inhabitants.  —  Tri 
umphant  Entry  of  King  Fernando 444 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
Death  of  King  Fernando 449 


SPANISH  ROMANCE. 

Spanish  Romance 455 

Legend  of  Don  Munio  Sancho  de  Hinojosa 459 


LEGENDS    OF   THE   CONQUEST   OF   SPAIN. 


PEEFACE. 


FEW  events  in  history  have  been  so  signal  and  striking  in 
their  main  circumstances,  and  so  overwhelming  and  enduring 
in  their  consequences,  as  that  of  the  conquest  of  Spain  by  the 
Saracens ;  yet  there  are  few  where  the  motives,  and  charac 
ters,  and  actions  of  the  agents  have  been  enveloped  in  more 
doubt  and  contradiction.  As  in  the  memorable  story  of  the 
"  Fall  of  Troy,"  we  have  to  make  out,  as  well  as  we  can,  the 
veritable  details  through  the  mists  of  poetic  fiction  ;  yet  poetry 
has  so  combined  itself  with,  and  lent  its  magic  coloring  to, 
every  fact,  that  to  strip  it  away  would  be  to  reduce  the  story 
to  a  meagre  skeleton  and  rob  it  of  all  its  charms.  The  storm 
of  Moslem  invasion  that  swept  so  suddenly  over  the  peninsula, 
silenced  for  a  time  the  faint  voice  of  the  Muse,  and  drove  the 
sons  of  learning  from  their  cells.  The  pen  was  thrown  aside 
to  grasp  the  sword  and  spear,  and  men  were  too  much  taken 
up  with  battling  against  the  evils  which  beset  them  on  every 
side,  to  find  time  or  inclination  to  record  them. 

When  the  nation  had  recovered  in  some  degree  from  the  ef 
fects  of  this  astounding  blow,  or  rather,  had  become  accustomed 
to  the  tremendous  reverse  which  it  produced,  and  sage  men 
sought  to  inquire  and  write  the  particulars,  it  was  too  late  to  as 
certain  them  in  their  exact  verity.  The  gloom  and  melancholy 


PREFACE. 


that  had  overshadowed  the  land  had  given  birth  to  a  thousand 
superstitious  fancies  ;  the  woes  and  terrors  of  the  past  were 
clothed  with  supernatural  miracles  and  portents,  and  the  actors 
in  the  fearful  drama  had  already  assumed  the  dubious  char 
acteristics  of  romance.  Or  if  a  writer  from  among  the  con 
querors  undertook  to  touch  upon  the  theme,  it  was  embellished 
with  all  the  wild  extravagances  of  an  Oriental  imagination, 
which  afterwards  stole  into  the  graver  works  of  the  monkish 
historians. 

Hence,  the  earliest  chronicles  which  treat  of  the  downfall  of 
Spain,  are  apt  to  be  tinctured  with  those  saintly  miracles  which 
savor  of  the  pious  labors  of  the  cloister,  or  those  fanciful  fic 
tions  that  betray  their  Arabian  authors.  Yet,  from  these  apoc 
ryphal  sources  the  most  legitimate  and  accredited  Spanish 
histories  have  taken  their  rise,  as  pure  rivers  may  be  traced 
up  to  the  fens  and  mantled  pools  of  a  morass.  It  is  true,  the 
authors,  with  cautious  discrimination,  have  discarded  those 
particulars  too  startling  for  belief,  and  have  culled  only  such 
as,  from  their  probability  and  congruity,  might  be  safely  re 
corded  as  historical  facts';  yet,  scarce  one  of  these  but  has 
been  connected  in  the  original  with  some  romantic  fiction, 
and,  even  in  its  divorced  state,  bears  traces  of  its  former  al 
liance. 

To  discard,  however,  everything  wild  and  marvellous  in  this 
portion  of  Spanish  history,  is  to  discard  some  of  its  most  beau 
tiful,  instructive,  and  national  features  ;  it  is  to  judge  of  Spain 
by  the  standard  of  probability  suited  to  tamer  and  more  prosaic 
countries.  Spain  is  virtually  a  land  of  poetry  and  romance, 
where  every-day  life  partakes  of  adventure,  and  where  the 
least  agitation  or  excitement  carries  everything  up  into  ex 
travagant  enterprise  and  daring  exploit.  The  Spaniards,  in 


PREFACE.  5 

all  ages,  have  been  of  swelling  and  braggart  spirit,  soaring  in 
thought,  pompous  in  word,  and  valiant,  though  vainglorious, 
in  deed.  Their  heroic  aims  have  transcended  the  cooler  con 
ceptions  of  their  neighbors,  and  their  reckless  daring  has  borne 
them  on  to  achievements  which  prudent  enterprise  could  never 
have  accomplished.  Since  the  time,  too,  of  the  conquest  and 
occupation  of  their  country  by  the  Arabs,  a  strong  infusion, 
of  Oriental  magnificence  has  entered  into  the  national  charac 
ter,  and  rendered  the  Spaniard  distinct  from  every  other  na 
tion  of  Europe. 

In  the  following  pages,  therefore,  the  author  has  ventured 
to  dip  more  deeply  into  the  enchanted  fountains  of  old  Span 
ish  chronicle,  than  has  usually  been  done  by  those  who,  in 
modern  times,  have  treated  of  the  eventful  period  of  the  Con 
quest  ;  but  in  so  doing,  he  trusts  he  will  illustrate  more  fully 
the  character  of  the  people  and  the  times.  He  has  thought 
proper  to  throw  these  records  into  the  form  of  legends,  not 
claiming  for  them  the  authenticity  of  sober  history,  yet  giving 
nothing  that  has  not  historical  foundation.  All  the  facts  herein 
contained,  however  extravagant  some  of  them  may  be  deemed, 
will  be  found  in  the  works  of  sage  and  reverend  chroniclers  of 
yore,  growing  side  by  side  with  long-acknowledged  truths,  and 
might  be  supported  by  learned  and  imposing  references  in  the 
margin. 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.* 


CHAPTER   I. 

OP   THE    ANCIENT    INHABITANTS  OF   SPAIN. OF    THE    MISRULE 

OF    WITIZA    THE    WICKED. 

SPAIN,  or  Iberia  as  it  was  called  in  ancient  days,  has  been 
a  country  harassed  from  the  earliest  times  by  the  invader. 
The  Celts,  the  Greeks,  the  Phenicians,  the  Carthaginians, 
by  turns  or  simultaneously,  infringed  its  territories,  drove 
the  native  Iberians  from  their  rightful  homes,  and  estab 
lished  colonies  and  founded  cities  in  the  land.  It  subsequently 
fell  into  the  all-grasping  power  of  Rome,  remaining  for  some 
time  a  subjugated  province  ;  and  when  that  gigantic  empire 
crumbled  into  pieces,  the  Suevi,  the  Alani,  and  the  Vandals, 
those  barbarians  of  the  North,  overran  and  ravaged  this 
devoted  country,  and  portioned  out  the  soil  among  them. 

Their  sway  was  not  of  long  duration.  In  the  fifth  century 
the  Goths,  who  were  then  the  allies  of  Rome,  undertook  the 
recon quest  of  Iberia,  and  succeeded,  after  a  desperate  struggle 

*  Many  of  the  facts  in  this  legend  are  taken  from  an  old  chronicle,  written  in 
quaint  and  antiquated  Spanish,  and  professing  to  be  a  translation  from  the  Ara 
bian  chronicle  of  the  Moor  Rasis,  by  Mohammed,  a  Moslem  writer,  and  Gil 
Perez,  a  Spanish  priest.  It  is  supposed  to  be  a  piece  of  literary  mosaic  work, 
made  up  from  both  Spanish  and  Arabian  chronicles;  yet,  from  this  work  most 
of  the  Spanish  historians  have  drawn  their  particulars  relative  to  the  fortunes  of 
Don  Roderick. 


8  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

of  three  years'  duration.  They  drove  before  them  the  bar 
barous  hordes,  their  predecessors,  intermarried  and  incor 
porated  themselves  with  the  original  inhabitants,  and  founded 
a  powerful  and  splendid  empire,  comprising  the  Iberian  penin 
sula,  the  ancient  Narbonnaise,  afterwards  called  Gallia  Gotica, 
or  Gothic  Gaul,  and  a  part  of  the  African  coast  called  Tingi' 
tania.  A  new  nation  was,  in  a  manner,  produced  by  this 
mixture  of  the  Goths  and  Iberians.  Sprang  from  a  union  of 
warrior  races,  reared  and  nurtured  amidst  the  din  of  arms,  the 
Gothic  Spaniards,  if  they  may  so  be  termed,  were  a  warlike, 
unquiet,  yet  high-minded  and  heroic  people.  Their  simple 
and  abstemious  habits,  their  contempt  for  toil  and  suffering, 
and  their  love  of  daring  enterprise,  fitted  them  for  a  soldier's 
life.  So  addicted  were  they  to  war  that,  when  they  had  no  ex 
ternal  foes  to  contend  with,  they  fought  with  one  another ;  and, 
when  engaged  in  battle,  says  an  old  chronicler,  the  very 
thunders  and  lightnings  of  heaven  could  not  separate  them.* 
For  two  centuries  and  a  half  the  Gothic  power  remained 
unshaken,  and  the  sceptre  was  wielded  by  twenty-five  suc 
cessive  kings.  The  crown  was  elective,  in  a  council  of  pal 
atines,  composed  of  the  bishops  and  nobles,  who,  while  they 
swore  allegiance  to  the  newly  made  sovereign,  bound  him  by  a 
reciprocal  oath  to  be  faithful  to  his  trust.  Their  choice  was 
made  from  among  the  people,  subject  only  to  one  condition, 
that  the  king  should  be  of  pure  Gothic  blood.  But  though 
the  crown  was  elective  in  principle,  it  gradually  became  hered 
itary  from  usage,  and  the  power  of  the  sovereign  grew  to  be 
almost  absolute.  The  king  was  commander-in-chief  of  the 
armies  ;  the  whole  patronage  of  the  kingdom  was  in  his  hands  ; 

*  Florain  de  Ocampo,  lib.  3,  c.  12.    Justin,  Mrev.  Trog.  Pomp.  L.  44  Bleda. 
Cronica  L.  2,  c.  3. 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  KODERICK.  9 

he  summoned  and  dissolved  the  national  councils ;  he  made 
and  revoked  laws  according  to  his  pleasure  ;  and,  having  eccle 
siastical  supremacy,  he  exercised  a  sway  even  over  the  con 
sciences  of  his  subjects. 

The  Goths,  at  the  time  of  their  inroad,  were  stout  adherents 
of  the  Arian  doctrines;  but  after  a  time  they  embraced  the 
Catholic  faith,  which  was  maintained  by  the  native  Spaniards 
free  from  many  of  the  gross  superstitions  of  the  Church  at 
Rome,  and  this  unity  of  faith  contributed  more  than  anything 
else  to  blend  and  harmonize  the  two  races  into  one.  The 
bishops  and  other  clergy  were  exemplary  in  their  lives,  and 
aided  to  promote  the  influence  of  the  laws  and  maintain  the 
authority  of  the  state.  The  fruits  of  regular  and  secure  gov 
ernment  were  manifest  in  the  advancement  of  agriculture,  com 
merce,  and  the  peaceful  arts ;  and  in  the  increase  of  wealth,  of 
luxury,  and  refinement ;  but  there  was  a  gradual  decline  of  the 
simple,  hardy,  and  warlike  habits  that  had  distinguished  the 
nation  in  its  semi-barbarous  days. 

Such  was  the  state  of  Spain  when,  in  the  year  of  Redemp 
tion  701,  Witiza  was  elected  to  the  Gothic  throne.  The  be 
ginning  of  his  reign  gave  promise  of  happy  days  to  Spain. 
He  redressed  grievances,  moderated  the  tributes  of  his  subjects, 
and  conducted  himself  with  mingled  mildness  and  energy  in 
the  administration  of  the  laws.  In  a  little  while,  however,  he 
threw  off  the  mask,  and  showed  himself  in  his  true  nature,  — 
cruel  and  luxurious. 

Two  of  his  relatives,  sons  of  a  preceding  king,  awakened  his 
jealousy  for  the  security  of  his  throne.  One  of  them,  named 
Favila,  Duke  of  Cantabria,  he  put  to  death,  and  would  have 
inflicted  the  same  fate  upon  his  son  Pelayo,  but  that  the 
youth  was  beyond  his  reach,  being  preserved  by  Providence 


10  THE  LEGEND  OP  DON  RODERICK. 

for  the  future  salvation  of  Spain.  The  other  object  of  his  sus 
picion  was  Theodofredo,  who  lived  retired  from  court.  The 
violence  of  Witiza  reached  him  even  in  his  retirement.  His 
eyes  were  put  out,  and  he  was  immured  within  a  castle  at  Cor 
dova.  Roderick,  the  youthful  son  of  Theodofredo,  escaped  to 
Italy,  where  he  received  protection  from  the  Romans. 

Witiza,  now  considering  himself  secure  upon  the  throne, 
gave  the  reins  to  his  licentious  passions,  and  soon,  by  his  tyr 
anny  and  sensuality,  acquired  the  appellation  of  Witiza  the 
Wicked.  Despising  the  old  Gothic  continence,  and  yielding 
to  the  example  of  the  sect  of  Mahomet,  which  suited  his  las 
civious  temperament,  he  indulged  in  a  plurality  of  wives  and 
concubines,  encouraging  his  subjects  to  do  the  same.  Nay,  he 
even  sought  to  gain  the  sanction  of  the  Church  to  his  excesses, 
promulgating  a  law  by  which  the  clergy  were  released  from 
their  vows  of  celibacy,  and  permitted  to  marry  and  to  entertain 
paramours. 

The  sovereign  Pontiff  Constantine  threatened  to  depose  and 
excommunicate  him,  unless  he  abrogated  this  licentious  law ; 
but  Witiza  set  him  at  defiance,  threatening,  like  his  Gothic 
predecessor  Alaric,  to  assail  the  eternal  city  with  his  troops, 
and  make  spoil  of  her  accumulated  treasures.*  "  We  will 
adorn  our  damsels."  said  he,  "  with  the  jewels  of  Romet  and 
replenish  our  coffers  from  the  mint  of  St.  Peter." 

Some  of  the  clergy  opposed  themselves  to  the  innovating 
spirit  of  the  monarch,  and  endeavored  from  the  pulpits  to  rally 
the  people  to  the  pure  doctrines  of  their  faith  ;  but  they  were 
deposed  from  their  sacred  office,  and  banished  as  seditious 
mischief-makers.  The  church  of  Toledo  continued  refractory ; 

*  Chron.  de  Luitprando,  709.    Abarca,  Anales  de  Aragon  (el  Mahometismo, 
Fol.  5). 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  11 

the  Archbishop  Sindaredo,  it  is  true,  was  disposed  to  accom 
modate  himself  to  the  corruptions  of  the  times,  but  the  preb 
endaries  battled  intrepidly  against  the  new  laws  of  the 
monarch,  and  stood  manfully  in  defence  of  their  vows  of 
chastity.  "  Since  the  church  of  Toledo  will  not  yield  itself  to 
our  will,"  said  Witiza,  "  it  shall  have  two  husbands."  So  say 
ing,  he  appointed  his  own  brother  Oppas,  at  that  time  Arch 
bishop  of  Seville,  to  take  a  seat  with  Sindaredo  in  the 
episcopal  chair  of  Toledo,  and  made  him  Primate  of  Spain. 
He  was  a  priest  after  his  own  heart,  and  seconded  him  in  all 
his  profligate  abuses. 

It  was  in  vain  the  denunciations  of  the  Church  were  fulmi 
nated  from  the  chair  of  St.  Peter.  Witiza  threw  off  all 
allegiance  to  the  Roman  Pontiff,  threatening  with  pain  of  death 
those  who  should  obey  the  papal  mandates.  "  We  will  suffer 
no  foreign  ecclesiastic,  with  triple  crown,"  said  he,  "  to  domi 
neer  over  our  dominions." 

The  Jews  had  been  banished  from  the  country  during  the 
preceding  reign,  but  Witiza  permitted  them  to  return,  and  even 
bestowed  upon  their  synagogues  privileges  of  which  he  had 
despoiled  the  churches.  The  Children  of  Israel,  when  scattered 
throughout  the  earth  by  the  fall  of  Jerusalem,  had  carried  with 
them  into  other  lands  the  gainful  arcana  of  traffic,  and  were 
especially  noted  as  opulent  money-changers,  and  curious  dealers 
in  gold  and  silver  and  precious  stones ;  on  this  occasion,  there 
fore,  they  were  enabled,  it  is  said,  to  repay  the  monarch  for  his 
protection  by  bags  of  money,  and  caskets  of  sparkling  gems, 
the  rich  product  of  their  Oriental  commerce. 

The  kingdom  at  this  time  enjoyed  external  peace,  but  there 
were  symptoms  of  internal  discontent.  Witiza  took  the  alarm ; 
he  remembered  the  ancient  turbulence  of  the  nation  and  its 


12  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

proneness  to  internal  feuds.  Issuing  secret  orders,  therefore, 
in  all  directions,  he  dismantled  most  of  the  cities,  and  demol 
ished  the  castles  and  fortresses  that  might  serve  as  rallying 
points  for  the  factious.  He  disarmed  the  people  also,  and  con 
verted  the  weapons  of  war  into  the  implements  of  peace.  It 
seemed,  in  fact,  as  if  the  millennium  were  dawning  upon  the 
land ;  for  the  sword  was  beaten  into  a  ploughshare,  and  the 
spear  into  a  pruning-hook. 

While  thus  the  ancient  martial  fire  of  the  nation  was  extin 
guished,  its  morals  likewise  were  corrupted.  The  altars  were 
abandoned,  the  churches  closed,  wide  disorder  and  sensuality 
prevailed  throughout  the  land,  so  that,  according  to  the  old 
chroniclers,  within  the  compass  of  a  few  short  years,  "  Witiza 
the  Wicked  taught  all  Spain  to  sin." 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  13 


CHAPTER   II. 

THE    RISE    OF    DON    RODERICK. HIS    GOVERNMENT. 

WOE  to  the  ruler  who  founds  his  hope  of  sway  on  the  weak 
ness  or  corruption  of  the  people.  The  very  measures  taken 
by  Witiza  to  perpetuate  his  power  ensured  his  downfall.  While 
the  whole  nation,  under  his  licentious  rule,  was  sinking  into 
vice  and  effeminacy,  and  the  arm  of  war  was  unstrung,  the 
youthful  Roderick,  son  of  Theodofredo,  was  training  up  for 
action  in  the  stern  but  wholesome  school  of  adversity.  He  in 
structed  himself  in  the  use  of  arms  ;  became  adroit  and  vigorous 
by  varied  exercises ;  learned  to  despise  all  danger,  and  inured 
himself  to  hunger  and  watchfulness  and  the  rigor  of  the  set- 
sons. 

His  merits  and  misfortunes  procured  him  many  friends 
among  the  Romans  ;  and  when,  being  arrived  at  a  fitting  age, 
he  undertook  to  revenge  the  wrongs  of  his  father  and  his  kin 
dred,  a  host  of  brave  and  hardy  soldiers  flocked  to  his  standard. 
With  these  he  made  his  sudden  appearance  in  Spain.  The 
friends  of  his  house  and  the  disaffected  of  all  classes  hastened 
to  join  him,  and  he  advanced  rapidly  and  without  opposition, 
through  an  unarmed  and  enervated  land. 

Witiza  saw  too  late  the  evil  he  had  brought  upon  himself. 
He  made  a  hasty  levy,  and  took  the  field  with  a  scantily 
equipped  and  undisciplined  host,  but  was  easily  routed  and 
made  prisoner,  and  the  whole  kingdom  submitted  to  Don  Rod 
erick. 


14  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

The  ancient  city  of  Toledo,  the  royal  residence  of  the  Gothic 
kings,  was  the  scene  of  high  festivity  and  solemn  ceremonial  on 
the  coronation  of  the  victor.  Whether  he  was  elected  to  the 
throne  according  to  the  Gothic  usage,  or  seized  it  by  the  right 
of  conquest,  is  a  matter  of  dispute  among  historians,  but  all  agree 
that  the  nation  submitted  cheerfully  to  his  sway,  and  looked 
forward  to  prosperity  and  happiness  under  their  newly  elevated 
monarch.  His  appearance  and  character  seemed  to  justify  the 
anticipation.  He  was  in  the  splendor  of  youth,  and  of  a  majes 
tic  presence.  His  soul  was  bold  and  daring,  and  elevated  by 
lofty  desires.  He  had  a  sagacity  that  penetrated  the  thoughts 
of  men,  and  a  magnificent  spirit  that  won  all  hearts.  Such  is 
the  picture  which  ancient  writers  give  of  Don  Roderick,  when, 
with  all  the  stern  and  simple  virtues  unimpaired,  which  he 
had  acquired  in  adversity  and  exile,  and  flushed  with  the  tri 
umph  of  a  pious  revenge,  he  ascended  the  Gothic  throne. 
A  Prosperity,  however,  is  the  real  touchstone  of  the  human 
heart ;  no  sooner  did  Roderick  find  himself  in  possession  of 
the  crown,  than  the  love  of  power  and  the  jealousy  of  rule 
were  awakened  in  his  breast.  His  first  measure  was  against 
Witiza,  who  was  brought  in  chains  into  his  presence.  Rod 
erick  beheld  the  captive  monarch  with  an  unpitying  eye,  re 
membering  only  his  wrongs  and  cruelties  to  his  father.  "  Let 
the  evils  he  has  inflicted  on  others  be  visited  upon  his  own 
head,"  said  he ;  "  as  he  did  unto  Theodofredo,  even  so  be  it 
done  unto  him."  So  the  eyes  of  Witiza  were  put  out,  and  he 
was  thrown  into  the  same  dungeon  at  Cordova  in  which  Theo 
dofredo  had  languished.  There  he  passed  the  brief  remnant 
of  his  days  in  perpetual  darkness,  a  prey  to  wretchedness  and 
remorse. 

Roderick  now  cast  an  uneasy  and  suspicious  eye  upon  Evan 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  15 

and  Siseburto,  the  two  sons  of  Witiza.  Fearful  lest  they  should 
foment  some  secret  rebellion,  he  banished  them  the  kingdom. 
They  took  refuge  in  the  Spanish  dominions  in  Africa,  where 
they  were  received  and  harbored  by  Requila,  Governor  of  Tan 
gier,  out  of  gratitude  for  favors  which  he  had  received  from  their 
late  father.  There  they  remained,  to  brood  over  their  fallen 
fortunes,  and  to  aid  in  working  out  the  future  woes  of  Spain. 

Their  uncle  Oppas,  Bishop  of  Seville,  who  had  been  made 
copartner,  by  Witiza,  in  the  archiepiscopal  chair  at  Toledo, 
would  have  likewise  fallen  under  the  suspicion  of  the  king ; 
but  he  was  a  man  of  consummate  art,  and  vast  exterior  sanc 
tity,  and  won  upon  the  good  graces  of  the  monarch.  He  was 
suffered,  therefore,  to  retain  his  sacred  office  at  Seville  ;  but  the 
see  of  Toledo  was  given  in  charge  to  the  venerable  Urbino, 
and  the  law  of  Witiza  was  revoked  that  dispensed  the  clergy 
from  their  vows  of  celibacy. 

The  jealousy  of  Roderick  for  the  security  of  his  crown  was 
soon  again  aroused,  and  his  measures  were  prompt  and  severe. 
Having  been  informed  that  the  governors  of  certain  castles 
and  fortresses  in  Castile  and  Andalusia  had  conspired  against 
him,  he  caused  them  to  be  put  to  death  and  their  strongholds 
to  be  demolished.  He  now  went  on  to  imitate  the  pernicious 
policy  of  his  predecessor,  throwing  down  walls  and  towers, 
disarming  the  people,  and  thus  incapacitating  them  from  re 
bellion.  A  few  cities  were  permitted  to  retain  their  fortifica 
tions,  but  these  were  entrusted  to  alcaydes  in  whom  he  had 
especial  confidence  ;  the  greater  part  of  the  kingdom  was  left 
defenceless ;  the  nobles,  who  had  been  roused  to  temporary 
manhood  during  the  recent  stir  of  war,  sunk  back  into  the  in 
glorious  state  of  inaction  which  had  disgraced  them  during  the 
reign  of  Witiza,  —  passing  their  time  in  feasting,  and  dancing  to 


16  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

the  sound  of  loose  and  wanton  minstrelsy.*  It  was  scarcely 
possible  to  recognize  in  these  idle  wassailers  and  soft  volupt 
uaries  the  descendants  of  the  stern  and  frugal  warriors  of  the 
frozen  North,  —  who  had  braved  flood  and  mountain,  and  heat 
and  cold,  and  had  battled  their  way  to  empire  across  half  a 
world  in  arms. 

They  surrounded  their  youthful  monarch,  it  is  true,  with  a 
blaze  of  military  pomp.  Nothing  could  surpass  the  splendor 
of  their  arms,  which  were  embossed  and  enamelled,  and  en 
riched  with  gold  and  jewels  and  curious  devices ;  nothing  could 
be  more  gallant  and  glorious  than  their  array ;  it  was  all  plume 
and  banner  and  silken  pageantry,  the  gorgeous  trappings  for 
tilt  and  tourney  and  courtly  revel ;  but  the  iron  soul  of  war 
was  wanting. 

How  rare  it  is  to  learn  wisdom  from  the  misfortunes  of  others. 
With  the  fate  of  Witiza  full  before  his  eyes,  Don  Roderick  in 
dulged  in  the  same  pernicious  errors,  and  was  doomed,  in  like 
manner,  to  prepare  the  way  for  his  own  perdition. 

*  Mariana,  Hist.  Esp.  L.  6,  c.  21. 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  KODERICK.  17 


CHAPTER   III. 

OF   THE    LOVES    OF    RODERICK    AND    THE    PRINCESS    ELYATA. 

As  yet  the  heart  of  Roderick,  occupied  by  the  struggles  of 
his  early  life,  by  warlike  enterprises,  and  by  the  inquietudes  of 
newly  gotten  power,  had  been  insensible  to  the  charms  of 
women  ;  but  in  the  present  voluptuous  calm,  the  amorous  pro 
pensities  of  his  nature  assumed  their  sway.  There  are  divers 
accounts  of  the  youthful  beauty  who  first  found  favor  in  his 
eyes,  and  was  elevated  by  him  to  the  throne.  We  follow  in 
our  legend  the  details  of  an  Arabian  chronicler,*  authenti 
cated  by  a  Spanish  poetf  Let  those  who  dispute  our  facts 
p:oduce  better  authority  for  their  contradiction. 

Among  the  few  fortified  places  that  had  not  been  dismantled 
by  Don  Roderick,  was  the  ancient  city  of  Denia,  situated  on 
the  Mediterranean  coast,  and  defended  on  a  rock-built  castle 
that  overlooked  the  sea. 

The  Alcayde  of  the  castle,  with  many  of  the  people  of  Denia, 
was  one  day  on  his  knees  in  the  chapel,  imploring  the  Virgin  to 
allay  a  tempest  which  was  strewing  the  coast  with  wrecks,  when 
a  sentinel  brought  word  that  a  Moorish  cruiser  was  standing 
for  the  land.  The  Alcayde  gave  orders  to  ring  the  alarm-bells, 
light  signal-fires  on  the  hill-tops,  and  rouse  the  country,  for  the 
coast  was  subject  to  cruel  maraudings  from  the  Barbary 
cruisers. 

*  Perdida  de  Espana,  por  Abulcasim  Tarif  Abentarique,  lib.  1. 
t  Lope  de  Vega. 

2* 


18  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

In  a  little  while  the  horsemen  of  the  neighborhood  were 
seen  pricking  along  the  beach,  armed  with  such  weapons  as 
they  could  find,  and  the  Alcayde  and  his  scanty  garrison  de 
scended  from  the  hill.  In  the  mean  time  the  Moorish  bark 
came  rolling  and  pitching  towards  the  land.  As  it  drew  near, 
the  rich  carving  and  gilding  with  which  it  was  decorated,  its 
silken  bandaroles  and  banks  of  crimson  oars,  showed  it  to  be 
no  warlike  vessel,  but  a  sumptuous  galiot  destined  for  state  and 
ceremony.  It  bore  the  marks  of  the  tempest ;  the  masts  were 
broken,  the  oars  shattered,  and  fragments  of  snowy  sails  and 
silken  awnings  were  fluttering  in  the  blast. 

As  the  galiot  grounded  upon  the  sand,  the  impatient  rabble 
rushed  into  the  surf  to  capture  and  make  spoil ;  but  were  awed 
into  admiration  and  respect  by  the  appearance  of  the  illustrious 
company  on  board.  There  were  Moors  of  both  sexes,  sumpt 
uously  arrayed,  and  adorned  with  precious  jewels,  bearing  the 
demeanor  of  persons  of  lofty  rank.  Among  them  shone  con 
spicuous  a  youthful  beauty,  magnificently  attired,  to  whom  all 
seemed  to  pay  reverence. 

Several  of  the  Moors  surrounded  her  with  drawn  swords, 
threatening  death  to  any  that  approached  ;  others  sprang  from 
the  bark,  and  throwing  themselves  on  their  knees  before  the 
Alcayde,  implored  him,  by  his  honor  and  courtesy  as  a  knight, 
to  protect  a  royal  virgin  from  injury  and  insult. 

"  You  behold  before  you,"  said  they,  "  the  only  daughter  of 
the  King  of  Algiers,  the  betrothed  bride  of  the  son  of  the  King 
of  Tunis.  "We  were  conducting  her  to  the  court  of  her  ex 
pecting  bridegroom,  when  a  tempest  drove  us  from  our  course, 
and  compelled  us  to  take  refuge  on  your  coast.  Be  not  more 
cruel  than  the  tempest,  but  deal  nobly  with  that  which  even  sea 
and  storm  have  spared." 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  .  19 

The  Alcayde  listened  to  their  prayers.  He  conducted  the 
princess  and  her  train  to  the  castle,  where  every  honor  due  to 
her  rank  was  paid  her.  Some  of  her  ancient  attendants  inter 
ceded  for  her  liberation,  promising  countless  sums  to  be  paid 
by  her  father  for  her  ransom  ;  but  the  Alcayde  turned  a  deaf 
ear  to  all  their  golden  offers.  "  She  is  a  royal  captive,"  said  he  ; 
"  it  belongs  to  my  sovereign  alone  to  dispose  of  her."  After 
she  had  reposed,  therefore,  for  some  days  at  the  castle,  and  re 
covered  from  the  fatigue  and  terror  of  the  seas,  he  caused  her 
to  be  conducted,  with  all  her  train,  in  magnificent  state  to  the 
court  of  Don  Roderick. 

The  beautiful  Elyata*  entered  Toledo  more  like  a  trium 
phant  sovereign  than  a  captive.  A  chosen  band  of  Christian 
horsemen,  splendidly  armed,  appeared  to  wait  upon  her  as  a 
mere  guard  of  honor.  She  was  surrounded  by  the  Moorish 
damsels  of  her  train,  and  followed  by  her  own  Moslem  guards, 
all  attired  with  the  magnificence  that  had  been  intended  to 
grace  her  arrival  at  the  court  of  Tunis.  The  princess  was  ar 
rayed  in  bridal  robes,  woven  in  the  most  costly  looms  of  the 
Orient ;  her  diadem  sparkled  with  diamonds,  and  was  decorated 
with  the  rarest  plumes  of  the  bird  of  paradise,  and  even  the 
silken  trappings  of  her  palfrey,  which  swept  the  ground,  were 
covered  with  pearls  and  precious  stones.  As  this  brilliant  cav 
alcade  crossed  the  bridge  of  the  Tagus,  all  Toledo  poured  forth 
to  behold  it,  and  nothing  was  heard  throughout  the  city  but 
praises  of  the  wonderful  beauty  of  the  Princess  of  Algiers. 
King  Roderick  came  forth,  attended  by  the  chivalry  of  his 
court,  to  receive  the  royal  captive.  His  recent  voluptuous  life 
had  disposed  him  for  tender  and  amorous  affections,  and  at  the 
first  sight  of  the  beautiful  Elyata  he  was  enraptured  with  her 

*  By  some  she  is  called  Zara. 


20  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

charms.  Seeing  her  face  clouded  with  sorrow  and  anxiety,  he 
soothed  her  with  gentle  and  courteous  words,  and  conducting 
her  to  a  royal  palace,  "  Behold,"  said  he,  "  thy  habitation,  where 
no  one  shall  molest  thee  ;  consider  thyself  at  home  in  the 
mansion  of  thy  father,  and  dispose  of  anything  according  to 
thy  will." 

Here  the  princess  passed  her  time,  with  the  female  attend 
ants  who  had  accompanied  her  from  Algiers ;  and  no  one  but 
the  king  was  permitted  to  visit  her,  who  daily  became  more 
and  more  enamored  of  his  lovely  captive,  and  sought  by  tender 
assiduity  to  gain  her  affections.  The  distress  of  the  princess 
at  her  captivity  was  soothed  by  this  gentle  treatment.  She  was 
of  an  age  when  sorrow  cannot  long  hold  sway  over  the  heart. 
Accompanied  by  her  youthful  attendants,  she  ranged  the  spa 
cious  apartments  of  the  palace,  and  sported  among  the  groves 
and  alleys  of  its  garden.  Every  day  the  remembrance  of  the 
paternal  home  grew  less  and  less  painful,  and  the  king  became 
more  and  more  amiable  in  her  eyes ;  and  when,  at  length,  he 
offered  to  share  his  heart  and  throne  with  her,  she  listened  with 
downcast  looks  and  kindling  blushes,  but  with  an  air  of  resig 
nation. 

One  obstacle  remained  to  the  complete  fruition  of  the  mon 
arch's  wishes,  and  this  was  the  religion  of  the  princess.  Rod 
erick  forthwith  employed  the  Archbishop  of  Toledo  to  instruct 
the  beautiful  Elyata  in  the  mysteries  of  the  Christian  faith. 
The  female  intellect  is  quick  in  perceiving  the  merits  of  new 
doctrines ;  the  archbishop,  therefore,  soon  succeeded  in  con 
verting,  not  merely  the  princess,  but  most  of  her  attendants, 
and  a  day  was  appointed  for  their  public  baptism.  The  cere 
mony  was  performed  with  great  pomp  and  solemnity,  in  the 
presence  of  all  the  nobility  and  chivalry  of  the  court.  The 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  21 

princess  and  her  damsels,  clad  in  white,  walked  on  foot  to  the 
cathedral,  while  numerous  beautiful  children,  arrayed  as  angels, 
strewed  their  path  with  flowers  ;  and  the  archbishop  meeting 
them  at  the  portal,  received  them,  as  it  were,  into  the  bosom 
of  the  Church.  The  princess  abandoned  her  Moorish  appella 
tion  of  Elyata,  and  was  baptized  by  the  name  of  Exilona,  by 
which  she  was  thenceforth  called  and  has  generally  been  known 
in  history. 

The  nuptials  of  Roderick  arfd  the  beautiful  convert  took 
place  shortly  afterwards,  and  were  celebrated  with  great  mag 
nificence.  There  were  jousts,  and  tourneys,  and  banquets,  and 
other  rejoicings,  which  lasted  twenty  days,  and  were  attended 
by  the  principal  nobles  from  all  parts  of  Spain.  After  these 
were  over,  such  of  the  attendants  of  the  princess  as  refused  to 
embrace  Christianity,  and  desired  to  return  to  Africa,  were 
dismissed  with  munificent  presents  ;  and  an  embassy  was  sent 
to  the  King  of  Algiers,  to  inform  him  of  the  nuptials  of  his 
daughter,  and  to  proffer  him  the  friendship  of  King  Roderick.* 

*  "  Como  esta  Infanta  era  muy  hermosa,  y  el  Key  [Don  Rodrigo]  dispuesta  y 
gentil  hombre,  entro  por  medio  el  amor  y  aficion,  y  junto  con  el  regalo  con  que 
la  avia  mandado  hospedar  y  servir  ful  causa  que  el  rey  persuadio  esta  Infanta, 
que  si  se  tornava  a  su  ley  de  christiano  la  tomaria  por  muger,  y  que  la  haria 
seiiora  de  sus  Eeynos.  Con  esta  persuasion  ella  fue  contenta,  y  aviendose  vuelto 
Christiana,  se  caso  con  ella,  y  se  celebraron  sus  bodas  con  muchas  fiestas  y  rego- 
zijos,  como  era  razon."  —  Abulcasim,  Conq'st  de  Espan,  cap.  3. 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

OF    COUNT    JULIAN. 

FOR  a  time  Don  Roderick  lived  happily  with  his  young 
and  beautiful  queen,  and  Toledo  was  the  seat  of  festivity 
and  splendor.  The  principal  nobles  throughout  the  kingdom 
repaired  to  his  court  to  pay  him  homage,  and  to  receive  his 
commands;  and  none  were  more  devoted  in  their  reverence 
than  those  who  were  obnoxious  to  suspicion  from  their  con 
nection  with  the  late  king. 

Among  the  foremost  of  these  was  Count  Julian,  a  man 
destined  to  be  infamously  renowned  in  the  dark  story  of  his 
country's  woes.  He  was  of  one  of  the  proudest  Gothic  fami 
lies,  lord  of  Consuegra  and  Algeziras,  and  connected  by  mar 
riage  with  Witiza  and  the  Bishop  Oppas,  —  his  wife,  the 
Countess  Frandina,  being  their  sister.  In  consequence  of 
this  connection,  and  of  his  own  merits,  he  had  enjoyed  the 
highest  dignities  and  commands,  being  one  of  the  Espatorios, 
or  royal  sword-bearers,  —  an  office  of  the  greatest  confidence 
about  the  person  of  the  sovereign.*  He  had,  moreover,  been 
entrusted  with  the  military  government  of  the  Spanish  pos 
sessions  on  the  African  coast  of  the  strait,  which  at  that  time 
were  threatened  by  the  Arabs  of  the  East,  the  followers  of 

*  Condes  Espatorios  ;  so  called  from  the  drawn  swords  of  ample  size  and 
breadth  with  which  they  kept  guard  in  the  antechambers  of  the  Gothic  kings. 
Comes  Spathariorum,  custodum  corporis  Regis  Profectus.  Hunc  et  Propo- 
spatharium  appellatum  existimo.  —  Pair.  Pant,  de  Offic.  Goth. 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  23 

Mahomet,  who  were  advancing  their  victorious  standard  to 
the  extremity  of  Western  Africa.  Count  Julian  established 
his  seat  of  government  at  Ceuta,  the  frontier  bulwark  and 
one  of  the  far-famed  gates  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  Here 
he  boldly  faced,  and  held  in  check,  the  torrent  of  Moslem 
invasion. 

Don  Julian  was  a  man  of  an  active,  but  irregular  genius, 
and  a  grasping  ambition ;  he  had  a  love  for  power  and  gran 
deur,  in  which  he  was  joined  by  his  haughty  countess ;  and 
they  could  ill  brook  the  downfall  of  their  house,  as  threatened 
by  the  fate  of  Witiza.  They  had  hastened,  therefore,  to  pay 
their  court  to  the  newly  elevated  monarch,  and  to  assure  him 
of  their  fidelity  to  his  interests. 

Eoderick  was  readily  persuaded  of  the  sincerity  of  Count 
Julian ;  he  was  aware  of  his  merits  as  a  soldier  and  a  gov 
ernor,  and  continued  him  in  his  important  command ;  honor 
ing  him  with  many  other  marks  of  implicit  confidence.  Count 
Julian  sought  to  confirm  this  confidence  by  every  proof  of 
devotion.  It  was  a  custom  among  the  Goths  to  rear  many 
of  the  children  of  the  most  illustrious  families  in  the  royal 
household.  They  served  as  pages  to  the  king,  and  hand 
maids  and  ladies  of  honor  to  the  queen,  and  were  instructed 
in  all  manner  of  accomplishments  befitting  their  gentle  blood. 
When  about  to  depart  for  Ceuta,  to  resume  his  command, 
Don  Julian  brought  his  daughter  Florinda  to  present  her  to 
the  sovereigns.  She  was  a  beautiful  virgin  that  had  nol;  as 
yet  attained  to  womanhood.  "  I  confide  her  to  your  protec 
tion,"  said  he  to  the  king,  "  to  be  unto  her  as  a  father ;  and 
to  have  her  trained  in  the  paths  of  virtue.  I  can  leave  with 
you  no  dearer  pledge  of  my  loyalty." 

King  Roderick  received   the   timid  and  blushing  maiden 


24  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

into  his  paternal  care  ;  promising  to  watch  over  her  happi 
ness  with  a  parent's  eye,  and  that  she  should  be  enrolled 
among  the  most  cherished  attendants  of  the  queen.  With 
this  assurance  of  the  welfare  of  his  child,  Count  Julian  de 
parted,  well  pleased,  for  his  government  at  Ceuta. 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  25 


CHAPTER   V. 

THE     STORY    OF   FLORINDA. 

THE  beautiful  daughter  of  Count  Julian  was  received  with 
great  favor  by  the  Queen  Exilona  and  admitted  among  the 
noble  damsels  that  attended  upon  her  person.  Here  she 
lived  in  honor  and  apparent  security,  and  surrounded  by 
innocent  delights.  To  gratify  his  queen,  Don  Roderick  had 
built  for  her  rural  recreation  a  palace  without  the  walls  of 
Toledo,  on  the  banks  of  the  Tagus.  It  stood  in  the  midst 
of  a  garden,  adorned  after  the  luxurious  style  of  the  East. 
The  air  was  perfumed  by  fragrant  shrubs  and  flowers;  the 
groves  resounded  with  the  song  of  the  nightingale,  while  the 
gush  of  fountains  and  water-falls,  and  the  distant  murmur 
of  the  Tagus,  made  it  a  delightful  retreat  during  the  sultry 
days  of  summer.  The  charm  of  perfect  privacy  also  reigned 
throughout  the  place,  for  the  garden  walls  were  high,  and 
numerous  guards  kept  watch  without  to  protect  it  from  all 
intrusion. 

In  this  delicious  abode,  more  befitting  an  Oriental  vo 
luptuary  than  a  Gothic  king,  Don  Roderick  was  accustomed 
to  while  away  much  of  that  time  which  should  have  been 
devoted  to  the  toilsome  cares  of  government.  The  very 
security  and  peace  which  he  had  produced  throughout  his 
dominions  by  his  precautions  to  abolish  the  means  and  habi 
tudes  of  war,  had  effected  a  disastrous  change  in  his  char- 


26  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODEEICK. 

acter.  The  hardy  and  heroic  qualities  which  had  conducted 
him  to  the  throne,  were  softened  in  the  lap  of  indulgence. 
Surrounded  by  the  pleasures  of  an  idle  and  effeminate  court, 
and  beguiled  by  the  example  of  his  degenerate  nobles,  he 
gave  way  to  a  fatal  sensuality  that  had  lain  dormant  in  his 
nature  during  the  virtuous  days  of  his  adversity.  The  mere 
love  of  female  beauty  had  first  enamored  him  of  Exilona, 
and  the  same  passion,  fostered  by  voluptuoiis  idleness,  now 
betrayed  him  into  the  commission  of  an  act  fatal  to  himself 
and  Spain.  The  following  is  the  story  of  his  error  as  gathered 
from  an  old  chronicle  and  legend. 

In  a  remote  part  of  the  palace  was  an  apartment  devoted 
to  the  queen.  It  was  like  an  eastern  harem,  shut  up  from 
the  foot  of  man,  and  where  the  king  himself  but  rarely 
entered.  It  had  its  own  courts,  and  gardens,  and  fountains, 
where  the  queen  was  wont  to  recreate  herself  with  her 
damsels,  as  she  had  been  accustomed  to  do  in  the  jealous 
privacy  of  her  father's  palace. 

One  sultry  day  the  king,  instead  of  taking  his  siesta,  or  mid 
day  slumber,  repaired  to  this  apartment  to  seek  the  society 
of  the  queen.  In  passing  through  a  small  oratory,  he  was 
drawn  by  the  sound  of  female  voices  to  a  casement  over 
hung  with  myrtles  and  jessamines.  It  looked  into  an  interior 
garden  or  court,  set  out  with  orange-trees,  in  the  midst  of 
which  was  a  marble  fountain,  surrounded  by  a  grassy  bank, 
enamelled  with  flowers. 

It  was  the  high  noontide  of  a  summer  day,  when,  in  sultry 
Spain,  the  landscape  trembles  to  the  eye,  and  all  Nature  seeks 
repose,  except  the  grasshopper,  that  pipes  his  lulling  note 
to  the  herdsman  as  he  sleeps  beneath  the  shade. 

Around  the  fountain  were  several  of  the  damsels  of  the 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  27 

queen,  who,  confident  of  the  sacred  privacy  of  the  place, 
were  yielding  in  that  cool  retreat  to  the  indulgence  prompted 
by  the  season  and  the  hour.  Some  lay  asleep  on  the  flowery 
bank ;  others  sat  on  the  margin  of  the  fountain,  talking  and 
laughing,  as  they  bathed  their  feet  in  its  limpid  waters,  and 
King  Eoderick  beheld  delicate  limbs  shining  through  the 
wave  that  might  rival  the  marble  in  whiteness. 

Among  the  damsels  was  one  who  had  come  from  the  Bar- 
bary  coast  with  the  queen.  Her  complexion  had  the  dark 
tinge  of  Mauritania,  but  it  was  clear  and  transparent,  and 
the  deep  rich  rose  blushed  through  the  lovely  brown.  Her 
eyes  were  black  and  full  of  fire,  and  flashed  from  under  long 
silken  eyelashes. 

A  sportive  contest  arose  among  the  maidens,  as  to  the  com 
parative  beauty  of  the  Spanish  and  Moorish  forms ;  but  the 
Mauri tanian  damsel  revealed  limbs  of  voluptuous  symmetry 
that  seemed  to  defy  all  rivalry. 

The  Spanish  beauties  were  on  the  point  of  giving  up  the 
contest,  when  they  bethought  themselves  of  the  young  Flo- 
rinda,  the  daughter  of  Count  Julian,  who  lay  on  the  grassy 
bank,  abandoned  to  a  summer  slumber.  The  soft  glow  of 
youth  and  health  mantled  on  her  cheek ;  her  fringed  eyelashes 
scarcely  covered  their  sleeping  orbs ;  her  moist  and  ruby  lips 
were  slightly  parted,  just  revealing  a  gleam  of  her  ivory  teeth, 
while  her  innocent  bosom  rose  and  fell  beneath  her  bodice, 
like  the  gentle  swelling  and  sinking  of  a  tranquil  sea.  There 
was  a  breathing  tenderness  and  beauty  in  the  sleeping  virgin, 
that  seemed  to  send  forth  sweetness  like  the  flowers  around 
her. 

"  Behold,"  cried  her  companions  exultingly,  "  the  champion 
of  Spanish  beauty  !  " 


28  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

In  their  playful  eagerness  they  half  disrobed  the  innocent 
Florinda  before  she  was  aware.  She  awoke  in  time,  however, 
to  escape  from  their  busy  hands ;  but  enough  of  her  charms 
had  been  revealed  to  convince  the  monarch  that  they  were  not 
to  be  rivalled  by  the  rarest  beauties  of  Maxiritania. 

From  this  day  the  heart  of  Roderick  was  inflamed  with  a 
fatal  passion.  He  gazed  on  the  beautiful  Florinda  with  fer 
vid  desire,  and  sought  to  read  in  her  looks  whether  there  was 
levity  or  wantonness  in  her  bosom  ;  but  the  eye  of  the  damsel 
ever  sunk  beneath  his  gaze,  and  remained  bent  on  the  earth  in 
virgin  modesty. 

In  vain  he  called  to  mind  the  sacred  trust  reposed  in  him 
by  Count  Julian,  and  the  promise  he  had  given  to  watch  over 
his  daughter  with  paternal  care  ;  his  heart  was  vitiated  by  sen 
sual  indulgence,  and  the  consciousness  of  power  had  rendered 
him  selfish  in  his  gratifications. 

Being  one  evening  in  the  garden  where  the  queen  was 
diverting  herself  with  her  damsels,  and  coming  to  the  foun 
tain  where  he  had  beheld  the  innocent  maidens  at  their  sport, 
he  could  no  longer  restrain  the  passion  raging  within  his 
breast.  Seating  himself  beside  the  fountain,  he  called  Flo 
rinda  to  draw  forth  a  thorn  which  had  pierced  his  hand.  The 
maiden  knelt  at  his  feet  to  examine  his  hand,  and  the  touch  of 
her  slender  fingers  thrilled  through  his  veins.  As  she  knelt, 
too,  her  amber  locks  fell  in  rich  ringlets  about  her  beautiful 
head,  her  innocent  bosom  palpitated  beneath  the  crimson  bod 
ice,  and  her  timid  blushes  increased  the  effulgence  of  her 
charms. 

Having  examined  the  monarch's  hand  in  vain,  she  looked  up 
in  his  face  with  artless  perplexity. 

"  Senor,"  said  she,  "  I  can  find  no  thorn,  nor  any  sign  of 
wound." 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  29 

Don  Roderick  grasped  her  hand  and  pressed  it  to  his  heart. 
"  It  is  here,  lovely  Florinda  !  "  said  he  ;  "  it  is  here  !  and  thou 
alone  canst  pluck  it  forth  !  " 

"  My  lord  !  "  exclaimed  the  blushing  and  astonished  maiden. 

"  Florinda ! "  said  Don  Roderick,  "  dost  thou  love  me  ?  " 

"  Senor,"  said  she,  "  my  father  taught  me  to  love  and 
reverence  you.  He  confided  me  to  your  care  as  one  who 
would  be  as  a  parent  to  me,  when  he  should  be  far  distant, 
serving  your  majesty  with  life  and  loyalty.  May  God  incline 
your  majesty  ever  to  protect  me  as  a  father."  So  saying,  the 
maiden  dropped  her  eyes  to  the  ground,  and  continued  kneel 
ing;  but  her  countenance  had  become  deadly  pale,  and  as 
she  knelt  she  trembled. 

"  Florinda,"  said  the  king,  "  either  thou  dost  not,  or  thou 
wilt  not,  understand  me.  I  would  have  thee  love  me,  not  as 
a  father,  nor  as  a  monarch,  but  as  one  who  adores  thee. 
Why  dost  thou  start?  No  one  shall  know  our  loves;  and, 
moreover,  the  love  of  a  monarch  inflicts  no  degradation  like 
the  love  of  a  common  man  ;  riches  and  honors  attend  upon  it. 
I  will  advance  thee  to  rank  and  dignity,  and  place  thee  above 
the  proudest  females  of  my  court.  Thy  father,  too,  shall 
be  more  exalted  and  endowed  than  any  noble  in  my  realm." 

The  soft  eye  of  Florinda  kindled  at  these  words.  "  Senor," 
said  she,  "  the  line  I  spring  from  can  receive  no  dignity  by 
means  so  vile ;  and  my  father  would  rather  die  than  purchase 
rank  and  power  by  the  dishonor  of  his  child.  But  I  see," 
continued  she,  "  that  your  majesty  speaks  in  this  manner  only 
to  try  me.  You  may  have  thought  me  light  and  simple,  and 
unworthy  to  attend  upon  the  queen.  I  pray  your  majesty 
to  pardon  me,  that  I  have  taken  your  pleasantry  in  such 
serious  part." 


30  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

In  this  way  the  agitated  maiden  sought  to  evade  the  ad 
dresses  of  the  monarch,  but  still  her  cheek  was  blanched, 
and  her  lip  quivered  as  she  spake. 

The  king  pressed  her  hand  to  his  lips  with  fervor.  "  May 
ruin  seize  me,"  cried  he,  "  if  I  speak  to  prove  thee.  My 
heart,  my  kingdom,  are  at  thy  command.  Only  be  mine, 
and  thou  shalt  rule  absolute  mistress  of  myself  and  my  do 
mains." 

The  damsel  rose  from  the  earth  where  she  had  hitherto 
knelt,  and  her  whole  countenance  glowed  with  virtuous  indig 
nation.  "'  My  lord,"  said  she,  "  I  am  your  subject,  and  in 
your  power ;  lake  my  life  if  it  be  your  pleasure,  but  nothing 
shall  tempt  me  to  commit  a  crime  which  would  be  treason 
to  the  queen,  disgrace  to  my  father,  agony  to  my  mother, 
and  perdition  to  myself."  With  these  words  she  left  the 
garden,  and  the  king,  for  the  moment,  was  too  much  awed 
by  her  indignant  virtue  to  oppose  her  departure. 

We  shall  pass  briefly  over  the  succeeding  events  of  the 
story  of  Florinda,  about  which  so  much  has  been  said  and 
sung  by  chronicler  and  bard  ;  for  the  sober  page  of  history 
should  be  carefully  chastened  from  all  scenes  that  might  in 
flame  a  wanton  imagination,  —  leaving  them  to  poems  and 
romances,  and  such  like  highly  seasoned  works  of  fantasy 
and  recreation. 

Let  it  suffice  to  say  that  Don  Roderick  pursued  his  suit 
to  the  beautiful  Florinda,  his  passion  being  more  and  more 
inflamed  by  the  resistance  of  the  virtuous  damsel.  At  length, 
forgetting  what  was  due  to  helpless  beauty,  to  his  own  honor 
as  a  knight,  and  his  word  as  a  sovereign,  he  triumphed  ovei 
her  weakness  by  base  and  unmanly  violence. 

There  are  not  wanting  those  who  affirm  that  the  hapless 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  31 

Florinda  lent  a  yielding  ear  to  the  solicitations  of  the  monarch, 
and  her  name  has  been  treated  with  opprobrium  in  several 
of  the  ancient  chronicles  and  legendary  ballads  that  have 
transmitted,  from  generation  to  generation,  the  story  of  the 
woes  of  Spain.  In  very  truth,  however,  she  appears  to  have 
been  a  guiltless  victim,  resisting,  as  far  as  helpless  female 
could  resist,  the  arts  and  intrigues  of  a  powerful  monarch, 
who  had  naught  to  check  the  indulgence  of  his  will,  and 
bewailing  her  disgrace  with  a  poignancy  that  shows  how 
dearly  she  had  prized  her  honor. 

In  the  first  paroxysm  of  her  grief  she  wrote  a  letter  to 
her  father,  blotted  with  her  tears  and  almost  incoherent  from 
her  agitation.  "  Would  to  God,  my  father,"  said  she,  "  that 
the  earth  had  opened  and  swallowed  me  ere  I  had  been  re 
duced  to  write  these  lines.  I  blush  to  tell  thee,  what  it  is 
not  proper  to  conceal.  Alas,  my  father !  thou  hast  intrusted 
thy  lamb  to  the  guardianship  of  the  lion.  Thy  daughter 
has  been  dishonored,  the  royal  cradle  of  the  Goths  polluted, 
and  our  lineage  insulted  and  disgraced.  Hasten,  my  father, 
to  rescue  your  child  from  the  power  of  the  spoiler,  and  to 
vindicate  the  honor  of  your  house." 

When  Florinda  had  written  these  lines,  she  summoned 
a  youthful  esquire  who  had  been  a  page  in  the  service  of 
her  father.  "'  Saddle  thy  steed,"  said  she,  "  and  if  thou  dost 
aspire  to  knightly  honor,  or  hope  for  lady's  grace  ;  if  thou 
hast  fealty  for  thy  lord,  or  devotion  to  his  daughter,  speed 
swiftly  upon  my  errand.  Rest  not,  halt  not,  spare  not  the 
spur,  but  hie  thee  day  and  night  until  thou  reach  the  sea; 
take  the  first  bark,  and  haste  with  sail  and  oar  to  Ceuta,  nor 
pause  until  thou  give  this  letter  to  the  count  my  father."  The 


32  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

youth  put  the  letter  in  his  bosom.  "  Trust  me,  lady,"  said 
he,  "  I  will  neither  halt,  nor  turn  aside,  nor  cast  a  look  behind, 
until  I  reach  Count  Julian."  He  mounted  his  fleet  steed, 
sped  his  way  across  the  bridge,  and  soon  left  behind  him 
the  verdant  valley  of  the  Tagus. 


THE  LEGEND  OP  DON  RODERICK.  33 


CHAPTER  VI. 

DON   RODERICK   RECEIVES   AN   EXTRAORDINARY   EMBASSY. 

THE  heart  of  Don  Roderick  was  not  so  depraved  by  sensu 
ality,  but  that  the  wrong  he  had  been  guilty  of  toward  the  in 
nocent  Florinda,  and  the  disgrace  he  had  inflicted  on  her 
house,  weighed  heavy  on  his  spirits,  and  a  cloud  began  to 
gather  on  his  once  clear  and  unwrinkled  brow. 

Heaven,  at  this  time,  say  the  old  Spanish  chronicles,  permit 
ted  a  marvellous  intimation  of  the  wrath  with  which  it  in 
tended  to  visit  the  monarch  and  his  people,  in  punishment 
of  their  sins ;  nor  are  we,  say  the  same  orthodox  writers,  to 
startle  and  withhold  our  faith  when  we  meet  in  the  page  of  dis 
creet  and  sober  history  with  these  signs  and  portents,  which 
transcend  the  probabilities  of  ordinary  life';  for  the  revolutions 
of  empires  and  the  downfall  of  mighty  kings  are  awful  events, 
that  shake  the  physical  as  well  as  the  moral  world,  and  are 
often  announced  by  forerunning  marvels  and  prodigious 
omens. 

With  such  like  cautious  preliminaries  do  the  wary  but  credu 
lous  historiographers  of  yore  usher  in  a  marvellous  event  of 
prophecy  and  enchantment,  linked  in  ancient  story  with  the 
fortunes  of  Don  Roderick,  but  which  modern  doubters  would 
fain  hold  up  as  an  apocryphal  tradition  of  Arabian  origin. 

Now,  so  it  happened,  according  to  the  legend,  that  about  this 
time,  as  King  Roderick  was  seated  one  day  on  his  throne,  sur» 


34  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

rounded  by  his  nobles,  in  the  ancient  city  of  Toledo,  two  men 
of  venerable  appearance  entered  the  hall  of  audience.  Their 
snowy  beards  descended  to  their  breasts,  and  their  gray  hairs 
were  bound  with  ivy.  They  were  arrayed  in  white  garments 
of  foreign  or  antiquated  fashion,  which  swept  the  ground,  and 
were  cinctured  with  girdles,  wrought  with  the  signs  of  the  zo 
diac,  from  which  were  suspended  enormous  bunches  of  keys 
of  every  variety  of  form.  Having  approached,  the  throne  and 
made  obeisance,  —  "  Know,  O  king,"  said  one  of  the  old  men, 
"  that  in  days  of  yore,  when  Hercules  of  Lybia,  surnamed  the 
Strong,  had  set  up  his  pillars  at  the  ocean  strait,  he  erected  a 
tower  near  to  this  ancient  city  of  Toledo.  He  built  it  of  pro 
digious  strength,  and  finished  it  with  magic  art,  shutting  up 
within  it  a  fearful  secret,  never  to  be  penetrated  without  peril 
and  disaster.  To  protect  this  terrible  mystery  he  closed  the 
entrance  to  the  edifice  with  a  ponderous  door  of  iron,  secured 
by  a  great  lock  of  steel,  and  he  left  a  command  that  every  king 
who  should  succeed  him  should  add  another  lock  to  the  portal ; 
denouncing  woe  and  destruction  on  him  who  should  eventually 
unfold  the  secret  of  the  tower. 

"  The  guardianship  of  the  portal  was  given  to  our  ancestors, 
and  has  continued  in  our  family,  from  generation  to  generation, 
since  the  days  of  Hercules.  Several  kings,  from  time  to  time, 
have  caused  the  gate  to  be  thrown  open,  and  have  attempted  to 
enter,  but  have  paid  dearly  for  their  temerity.  Some  have 
perished  within  the  threshold ;  others  have  been  overwhelmed 
with  horror  at  tremendous  sounds,  which  shook  the  foundations 
of  the  earth,  and  have  hastened  to  reclose  the  door  and  secure 
it  with  its  thousand  locks.  Thus,  since  the  days  of  Hercules, 
the  inmost  recesses  of  the  pile  have  never  been  penetrated  by 
mortal  man,  and  a  profound  mystery  continues  to  prevail  over 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  35 

this  great  enchantment.  This,  O  king,  is  all  we  have  to  relate  ; 
and  our  errand  is  to  entreat  thee  to  repair  to  the  tower  and  af 
fix  thy  lock  to  the  portal,  as  has  been  done  by  all  thy  predeces 
sors."  Having  thus  said,  the  ancient  men  made  a  profound 
reverence  and  departed  from  the  presence-chamber.* 

Don  Roderick  remained  for  some  time  lost  in  thought  after 
the  departure  of  the  men ;  he  then  dismissed  all  his  court  ex 
cepting  the  venerable  Urbino,  at  that  time  Archbishop  of  Toledo. 
The  long  white  beard  of  this  prelate  bespoke  his  advanced  age, 
and  his  overhanging  eyebrows  showed  him  a  man  full  of  wary 
counsel. 

"  Father,"  said  the  king.  "  I  have  an  earnest  desire  to  pene 
trate  the  mystery  of  this  tower."  The  worthy  prelate  shook 
his  hoary  head.  "  Beware,  my  son,"  said  he ;  "  there  are  secrets 
hidden  from  man  for  his  good.  Your  predecessors  for  many 
generations  have  respected  this  mystery,  and  have  increased  in 
might  and  empire.  A  knowledge  of  it,  therefore,  is  not  mate 
rial  to  the  welfare  of  your  kingdom.  Seek  not  then  to  indulge 
a  rash  and  unprofitable  curiosity,  which  is  interdicted  under 
such  awful  menaces." 

"  Of  what  importance,"  cried  the  king,  "  are  the  menaces  of 
Hercules  the  Lybian  ?  was  he  not  a  pagan  ;  and  can  his  en 
chantments  have  aught  avail  against  a  believer  in  our  holy 
faith  ?  Doubtless  in  this  tower  are  locked  up  treasures  of  gold 
and  jewels,  amassed  in  days  of  old,  the  spoils  of  mighty  kings, 
the  riches  of  the  pagan  world.  My  coffers  are  exhausted ;  I 
have  need  of  supply ;  and  surely  it  would  be  an  acceptable  act 
in  the  eyes  of  Heaven  to  draw  forth  this  wealth  which  lies 

*  Perdida  de  Espana,  por  Abulcasim  Tarif  Abentarique,  L.  1,  c.  6.  Cronica  del 
Rey  Don  Kodrigo,  por  el  Moro  Basis,  L.  1,  c.  1.  Bleda,  Cron.  cap.  vii. 


36  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

buried  under  profane  and  necromantic  spells,  and  consecrate  it 
to  religious  purposes." 

The  venerable  archbishop  still  continued  to  remonstrate,  but 
Don  Roderick  heeded  not  his  counsel,  for  he  was  led  on  by  his 
malignant  star.  "  Father,"  said  he,  "  it  is  in  vain  you  attempt 
to  dissuade  me.  My  resolution  is  fixed.  To-morrow  I  will  ex 
plore  the  hidden  mystery,  or  rather  the  hidden  treasures,  of  this 
tower." 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  37 


CHAPTER  VII. 

STORY    OF   THE   MARVELLOUS    AND    PORTENTOUS    TOWER. 

THE  morning  sun  shone  brightly  upon  the  cliff-built  towers 
of  Toledo,  when  King  Roderick  issued  out  of  the  gate  of  the 
city  at  the  head  of  a  numerous  train  of  courtiers  and  cavaliers, 
and  crossed  the  bridge  that  bestrides  the  deep  rocky  bed  of 
the  Tagus.  The  shining  cavalcade  wound  up  the  road  that 
leads  among  the  mountains,  and  soon  came  in  sight  of  the 
necromantic  tower. 

Of  this  renowned  edifice  marvels  are  related  by  the  ancient 
Arabian  and  Spanish  chroniclers,  "  and  I  doubt  much,"  adds 
the  venerable  Agapida,  "  whether  many  readers  will  not  con 
sider  the  whole  as  a  cunningly  devised  fable,  sprung  from  an 
Oriental  imagination ;  but  it  is  not  for  me  to  reject  a  fact  which 
is  recorded  by  all  those  writers  who  are  the  fathers  of  our  na 
tional  history  ;  a  fact  too,  which  is  as  well  attested  as  most  of 
the  remarkable  events  in  the  story  of  Don  Roderick.  None 
but  light  and  inconsiderate  minds,"  continues  the  good  friar, 
"  do  hastily  reject  the  marvellous.  To  the  thinking  mind  the 
whole  world  is  enveloped  in  mystery,  and  everything  is  full 
of  type  and  portent.  To  such  a  mind  the  necromantic  tower 
of  Toledo  will  appear  as  one  of  those  wondrous  monuments 
of  the  olden  time ;  one  of  those  Egyptian  and  Chaldaic  piles, 
storied  with  hidden  wisdom  and  mystic  prophecy,  which  have 
been  devised  in  past  ages,  when  man  yet  enjoyed  an  inter- 


38  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

course  with  high  and  spiritual  natures,  and  when  human  fore 
sight  partook  of  divination." 

This  singular  tower  was  round  and  of  great  height  and  gran 
deur,  erected  upon  a  lofty  rock,  and  surrounded  by  crags  and 
precipices.  The  foundation  was  supported  by  four  brazen 
lions,  each  taller  than  a  cavalier  on  horseback.  The  walls 
were  built  of  small  pieces  of  jasper  and  various  colored  marbles, 
not  larger  than  a  man's  hand ;  so  subtilely  joined,  however, 
that,  but  for  their  different  hues,  they  might  be  taken  for  one 
entire  stone.  They  were  arranged  with  marvellous  cunning, 
so  as  to  represent  battles  and  warlike  deeds  of  times  and 
heroes  long  since  passed  away,  and  the  whole  surface  was  so 
admirably  polished  that  the  stones  were  as  lustrous  as  glass, 
and  reflected  the  rays  of  the  sun  with  such  resplendent  bright 
ness  as  to  dazzle  all  beholders.* 

King  Roderick  and  his  courtiers  arrived  wondering  and 
amazed  at  the  foot  of  the  rock.  Here  there  was  a  narrow 
arched  way  cut  through  the  living  stone,  the  only  entrance  to 
the  tower.  It  was  closed  by  a  massive  iron  gate,  covered  with 
rusty  locks  of  divers  workmanship  and  in  the  fashion  of  differ 
ent  centuries,  which  had  been  affixed  by  the  predecessors  of 
Don  Roderick.  On  either  side  of  the  portal  stood  the  two 
ancient  guardians  of  the  tower,  laden  with  the  keys  appertain 
ing  to  the  locks. 

The  king  alighted,  and  approaching  the  portals,  ordered  the 
guardians  to  unlock  the  gate.  The  hoary  headed  men  drew 
back  with  terror.  «  Alas  !  "  cried  they,  "  what  is  it  your  majesty 
requires  of  us  ?  Would  you  have  the  mischiefs  of  this  tower 
unbound,  and  let  loose  to  shake  the  earth  to  its  foundations  ?  " 

*  From  the  minute  account  of  the  good  friar,  drawn  from  the  ancient  chron 
icles,  it  would  appear  that  the  walls  of  the  tower  were  pictured  in  mosaic  work. 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  39 

The  venerable  Archbishop  Urbino  likewise  implored  him  not 
to  disturb  a  mystery  which  had  been  held  sacred  from  gen 
eration  to  generation  within  the  memory  of  man,  and  which 
even  Caesar  himself,  when  sovereign  of  Spain,  had  not  ven 
tured  to  invade.  The  youthful  cavaliers,  however,  were  eager 
to  pursue  the  adventure,  and  encouraged  him  in  his  rash  cu 
riosity. 

"  Come  what  come  may,"  exclaimed  Don  Roderick,  "  I  am 
resolved  to  penetrate  the  mystery  of  this  tower."  So  saying, 
he  again  commanded  the  guardians  to  unlock  the  portal.  The 
ancient  men  obeyed  with  fear  and  trembling,  but  their  hands 
shook  with  age,  and  when  they  applied  the  keys  the  locks  were 
so  rusted  by  time,  or  of  such  strange  workmanship,  that  they 
resisted  their  feeble  efforts,  whereupon  the  young  cavaliers 
pressed  forward  and  lent  their  aid.  Still  the  locks  were  so 
numerous  and  difficult,  that  with  all  their  eagerness  and 
strength  a  great  part  of  the  day  was  exhausted  before  the 
whole  of  them  could  be  mastered. 

When  the  last  bolt  had  yielded  to  the  key,  the  guardians 
and  the  reverend  archbishop  again  entreated  the  king  to  pause 
and  reflect.  "  Whatever  is  within  this  tower,*  said  they,  "  is 
as  yet  harmless,  and  lies  bound  under  a  mighty  spell ;  venture 
not  then  to  open  a  door  which  may  let  forth  a  flood  of  evil 
upon  the  land."  But  the  anger  of  the  king  was  roused,  and 
he  ordered  that  the  portal  should  be  instantly  thrown  open. 
In  vain,  however,  did  one  after  another  exert  his  strength,  and 
equally  in  vain  did  the  cavaliers  unite  their  forces,  and  apply 
their  shoulders  to  the  gate  ;  though  there  was  neither  bar  nor 
bolt  remaining,  it  was  perfectly  immovable. 

The  patience  of  the  king  was  now  exhausted,  and  he  ad 
vanced  to  apply  his  hand  ;  scarcely,  however,  did  he  touch  the 


40  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

iron  gate,  when  it  swung  slowly  open,  uttering,  as  it  were,  a 
dismal  groan,  as  it  turned  reluctantly  upon  its  hinges.  A  cold, 
damp  wind  issued  forth,  accompanied  by  a  tempestuous  sound. 
The  hearts  of  the  ancient  guardians  quaked  within  them,  and 
their  knees  smote  together ;  but  several  of  the  youthful  cava 
liers  rushed  in,  eager  to  gratify  their  curiosity,  or  to  signalize 
themselves  in  this  redoubtable  enterprise.  They  had  scarcely 
advanced  a  few  paces,  however,  when  they  recoiled,  overcome 
by  the  baleful  air,  or  by  some  fearful  vision.*  Upon  this,  the 
king  ordered  that  fires  should  be  kindled  to  dispel  the  dark 
ness,  and  to  correct  the  noxious  and  long-imprisoned  air ;  he 
then  led  the  way  into  the  interior  ;  but,  though  stout  of  heart, 
he  advanced  with  awe  and  hesitation. 

After  proceeding  a  short  distance,  he  entered  a  hall,  or  ante 
chamber,  on  the  opposite  side  of  which  was  a  door,  and  before 
it,  on  a  pedestal,  stood  a  gigantic  figure,  of  the  color  of  bronze 
and  of  a  terrible  aspect.  It  held  a  huge  mace,  which  it  whirled 
incessantly,  giving  such  cruel  and  resounding  blows  upon  the 
earth  as  to  prevent  all  further  entrance. 

The  king  paused  at  sight  of  this  appalling  figure,  for  whether 
it  were  a  living  being,  or  a  statue  of  magic  artifice,  he  could 
not  tell.  On  its  breast  was  a  scroll,  whereon  was  inscribed 
in  large  letters,  "  I  do  my  duty."  f  After  a  little  while  Rod 
erick  plucked  up  heart,  and  addressed  it  with  great  solemnity. 
"  Whatever  thou  be,"  said  he,  "  know  that  I  come  not  to  vio 
late  this  sanctuary,  but  to  inquire  into  the  mystery  it  contains  ; 
I  conjure  thee,  therefore,  to  let  me  pass  in  safety." 

Upon  this  the  figure  paused  with  uplifted  mace,  and  the 
king  and  his  train  passed  unmolested  through  the  door. 

*  Bleda,  Cronica,  cap.  7.  f  Idem. 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  41 

They  now  entered  a  vast  chamber,  of  a  rare  and  sumptuous 
architecture,  difficult  to  be  described.  The  walls  were  in- 
crusted  with  the  most  precious  gems,  so  joined  together  as  to 
form  one  smooth  and  perfect  surface.  The  lofty  dome  ap 
peared  to  be  self-supported,  and  was  studded  with  gems,  lus 
trous  as  the  stars  of  the  firmament.  There  was  neither  wood, 
nor  any  other  common  or  base  material  to  be  seen  throughout 
the  edifice.  There  were  no  windows  or  other  openings  to 
admit  the  day,  yet  a  radiant  light  was  spread  throughout  the 
place  which  seemed  to  shine  from  the  walls  and  to  render 
every  object  distinctly  visible. 

In  the  centre  of  this  hall  stood  a  table  of  alabaster,  of  the 
rarest  workmanship,  on  which  was  inscribed  in  Greek  char 
acters,  that  Hercules  Alcides,  the  Theban  Greek,  had  founded 
this  tower  in  the  year  of  the  world  three  thousand  and  six. 
Upon  the  table  stood  a  golden  casket,  richly  set  round  with 
precious  stones,  and  closed  with  a  lock  of  mother-of-pearl,  and 
on  the  lid  were  inscribed  the  following  words :  — 

"  In  this  coffer  is  contained  the  mystery  of  the  tower.  The 
hand  of  none  but  a  king  can  open  it ;  but  let  him  beware ! 
for  marvellous  events  will  be  revealed  to  him,  which  are  to 
take  place  before  his  death." 

King  Roderick  boldly  seized  upon  the  casket.  The  ven 
erable  archbishop  laid  his  hand  upon  his  arm,  and  made  a 
last  remonstrance.  "  Forbear,  my  son  !  "  said  he  ;  "  desist 
while  there  is  yet  time.  Look  not  into  the  mysterious  de 
crees  of  Providence.  God  has  hidden  them  in  mercy  from 
our  sight,  and  it  is  impious  to  rend  the  veil  by  which  they  are 
concealed."  • 

"  What  have  I  to  dread  from  a  knowledge  of  the  future  ?  " 
replied  Roderick,  with  an  air  of  haughty  presumption.  "  If 

3* 


42  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

good  be  destined  me,  I  shall  enjoy  it  by  anticipation  ;  if  evil, 
I  shall  arm  myself  to  meet  it."  So  saying,  he  rashly  broke  the 
lock. 

Within  the  coffer  he  found  nothing  but  a  linen  cloth,  folded 
between  two  tablets  of  copper.  On  unfolding  it  he  beheld 
painted  on  it  figures  of  men  on  horseback,  of  fierce  demeanor, 
clad  in  turbans  and  robes  of  various  colors,  after  the  fashion 
of  the  Arabs,  with  scimitars  hanging  from  their  necks  and 
cross-bows  at  their  saddle-backs,  and  they  carried  banners 
and  pennons  with  divers  devices.  Above  them  was  inscribed, 
in  Greek  characters,  "  Rash  monarch  !  behold  the  men  who 
are  to  hurl  thee  from  thy  throne,  and  subdue  thy  kingdom  ! " 

At  sight  of  these  things  the  king  was  troubled  in  spirit,  and 
dismay  fell  upon  his  attendants.  While  they  were  yet  regard 
ing  the  paintings,  it  seemed  as  if  the  figures  began  to  move, 
and  a  faint  sound  of  warlike  tumult  arose  from  the  cloth,  with 
the  clash  of  cymbal  and  bray  of  trumpet,  the  neigh  of  steed 
and  shout  of  army  ;  but  all  was  heard  indistinctly,  as  if  afar 
off,  or  in  a  reverie  or  dream.  The  more  they  gazed,  the 
plainer  became  the  motion,  and  the  louder  the  noise  ;  and  the 
linen  cloth  rolled  forth,  and  amplified,  and  spread  out,  as  it 
were,  a  mighty  banner,  and  filled  the  hall,  and  mingled  with 
the  air,  until  its  texture  was  no  longer  visible,  or  appeared  as 
a  transparent  cloud.  And  the  shadowy  figures  became  all  in 
motion,  and  the  din  and  uproar  became  fiercer,  and  fiercer ; 
and  whether  the  whole  were  an  animated  picture,  or  a  vision, 
or  an  array  of  embodied  spirits,  conjured  up  by  supernatural 
power,  no  one  present  could  tell.  They  beheld  before  them 
a  great  field  of  battle,  where  Christians  and  Moslems  were  en 
gaged  in  deadly  conflict.  They  heard  the  rush  and  tramp  of 
steeds,  the  blast  of  trump  and  clarion,  the  clash  of  cymbal,  and 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  43 

the  stormy  din  of  a  thousand  drums.  There  was  the  clash  of 
swords,  and  maces,  and  battle-axes,  with  the  whistling  of  ar 
rows  and  the  hurtling  of  darts  and  lances.  The  Christians 
quailed  before  the  foe ;  the  infidels  pressed  upon  them  and 
put  them  to  utter  rout ;  the  standard  of  the  cross  was  cast 
down,  the  banner  of  Spain  was  trodden  under  foot,  the  air 
resounded  with  shouts  of  triumph,  with  yells  of  fury,  and  with 
the  groans  of  dying  men.  Amidst  the  flying  squadrons  King 
Roderick  beheld  a  crowned  warrior,  whose  back  was  towards 
him,  but  whose  armor  and  device  were  his  own,  and  who  was 
mounted  on  a  white  steed  that  resembled  his  own  war-horse 
Orelia.  In  the  confusion  of  the  flight,  the  warrior  was  dis 
mounted  and  was  no  longer  to  be  seen,  and  Orelia  galloped 
wildly  through  the  field  of  battle  without  a  rider. 

Roderick  stayed  to  see  no  more,  but  rushed  from  the  fatal 
hall,  followed  by  his  terrified  attendants.  They  fled  through 
the  outer  chamber,  where  the  gigantic  figure  with  the  whirling 
mace  had  disappeared  from  his  pedestal,  and  on  issuing  into 
the  open  air,  they  found  the  two  ancient  guardians  of  the 
tower  lying  dead  at  the  portal,  as  though  they  had  been 
crushed  by  some  mighty  blow.  All  Nature,  which  had  been 
clear  and  serene,  was  now  in  wild  uproar.  The  heavens  were 
darkened  by  heavy  clouds  ;  loud  bursts  of  thunder  rent  the 
air,  and  the  earth  was  deluged  with  rain  and  rattling  hail. 

The  king  ordered  that  the  iron  portal  should  be  closed,  but 
the  door  was  immovable,  and  the  cavaliers  were  dismayed  by 
the  tremendous  turmoil  and  the  mingled  shouts  and  groans 
that  continued  to  prevail  within.  The  king  and  his  train  hast 
ened  back  to  Toledo,  pursued  and  pelted  by  the  tempest. 
The  mountains  shook  and  echoed  with  the  thunder,  trees  were 
uprooted  and  blown  down,  and  the  Tagus  raged  and  roared 


14  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

and  flowed  above  its  banks.  It  seemed  to  the  affrighted 
courtiers  as  if  the  phantom  legions  of  the  tower  had  issued 
forth  and  mingled  with  the  storm ;  for  amidst  the  claps  of  thun 
der  and  the  howling  of  the  wind,  they  fancied  they  heard  the 
sound  of  the  drums  and  trumpets,  the  shouts  of  armies,  and 
the  rush  of  steeds.  Thus  beaten  by  tempest  and  overwhelmed 
with  horror,  the  king  and  his  courtiers  arrived  at  Toledo,  clat 
tering  across  the  bridge  of  the  Tagus,  and  entering  the  gate 
in  headlong  confusion,  as  though  they  had  been  pursued  by 
an  enemy. 

In  the  morning  the  heavens  were  again  serene,  and  all  Na 
ture  was  restored  to  tranquillity.  The  king,  therefore,  issued 
forth  with  his  cavaliers  and  took  the  road  to  the  tower,  fol 
lowed  by  a  great  multitude,  for  he  was  anxious  once  more 
to  close  the  iron  door,  and  shut  up  those  evils  that  threatened 
.to  overwhelm  the  land.  But  lo !  on  coming  in  sight  of  the 
tower,  a  new  wonder  met  their  eyes.  An  eagle  appeared  high 
in  the  air,  seeming  to  descend  from  heaven.  He  bore  in  his 
beak  a  burning  brand,  and  lighting  on  the  summit  of  the 
tower,  fanned  the  fire  with  his  wings.  In  a  little  while  the 
edifice  burst  forth  into  a  blaze  as  though  it  had  been  built  of 
rosin,  and  the  flames  mounted  into  the  air  with  a  brilliancy 
more  dazzling  than  the  sun  ;  nor  did  they  cease  until  every 
stone  was  consumed  and  the  whole  was  reduced  to  a  heap  of 
ashes.  Then  there  came  a  vast  flight  of  birds,  small  of  size 
and  sable  of  hue,  darkening  the  sky  like  a  cloud ;  and  they 
descended  and  wheeled  in  circles  round  the  ashes,  causing  so 
great  a  wind  with  their  wings  that  the  whole  was  borne  up 
into  the  air,  and  scattered  throughout  all  Spain,  and  wher 
ever  a  particle  of  that  ashes  fell  it  was  as  a  stain  of  blood. 
It  is  furthermore  recorded  by  ancient  men  and  writers  of 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  45 

former  days,  that  all  those  on  whom  this  dust  fell  were  after 
wards  slain  in  battle,  when  the  country  was  conquered  by  the 
Arabs,  and  that  the  destruction  of  this  necromantic  tower  was 
n  sign  and  token  of  the  approaching  perdition  of  Spain. 

"  Let  all  those,"  concludes  the  cautious  friar,  "  who  question 
the  verity  of  this  most  marvellous  occurrence,  consult  those 
admirable  sources  of  our  history,  the  chronicle  of  the  Moor 
Easis,  and  the  work  entitled,  "  The  Fall  of  Spain,"  written  by 
the  Moor  Abulcasim  Tarif  Abentarique.  Let  them  consult, 
moreover,  the  venerable  historian  Bleda,  and  the  cloud  of 
other  Catholic  Spanish  writers  who  have  treated  of  this  event, 
and  they  will  find  I  have  related  nothing  that  has  not  been 
printed  and  published  under  the  inspection  and  sanction  of  our 
holy  mother  Church.  God  alone  knoweth  the  truth  of  these 
things ;  I  speak  nothing  but  what  has  been  handed  down  to 
me  from  times  of  old." 


46  THE  LEGEND  OP  DON  RODERICK. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

COUNT   JULIAN. HIS    FORTUNES    IN   AFRICA. HE    HEARS    OF 

THE    DISHONOR    OF    HIS    CHILD.  —  HIS  CONDUCT    THEREUPON. 

THE  course  of  our  legendary  narration  now  returns  to 
notice  the  fortunes  of  Count  Julian,  after  his  departure  from 
Toledo,  to  resume  his  government  on  the  coast  of  Barbary. 
He  left  the  Countess  Frandina  at  Algeziras,  his  paternal 
domain,  for  the  province  under  his  command  was  threatened 
with  invasion.  In  fact,  when  he  arrived  at  Ceuta  he  found 
his  post  in  imminent  danger  from  the  all-conquering  Moslems. 
The  Arabs  of  the  East,  the  followers  of  Mahomet,  having 
subjugated  several  of  the  most  potent  Oriental  kingdoms, 
had  established  their  seat  of  empire  at  Damascus,  where 
at  this  time  it  was  filled  by  Waled  Almanzor,  surnamed 
"  The  Sword  of  God."  From  thence  the  tide  of  Moslem 
conquest  had  rolled  on  to  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic,  so  that 
all  Almagreb,  or  "Western  Africa,  had  submitted  to  the  stand 
ard  of  the  Prophet,  with  the  exception  of  a  portion  of  Tin- 
gitania,  lying  along  the  straits,  —  being  the  province  held  by 
the  Goths  of  Spain,  and  commanded  by  Count  Julian.  The 
Arab  invaders  were  a  hundred  thousand  strong,  most  of  them 
veteran  troops,  seasoned  in  warfare  and  accustomed  to  vic 
tory.  They  were  led  by  an  old  Arab  General,  Muza  ben 
Nosier,  to  whom  was  confided  the  government  of  Almagreb,  — 
most  of  which  he  had  himself  conquered.  The  ambition  of 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  47 

this  veteran  was  to  make  the  Moslem  conquest  complete,  by 
expelling  the  Christians  from  the  African  shores;  with  this 
view  his  troops  menaced  the  few  remaining  Gothic  fortresses 
of  Tingitania,  while  he  himself  sat  down  in  person  before 
the  walls  of  Ceuta.  The  Arab  chieftain  had  been  rendered 
confident  by  continual  success,  and  thought  nothing  could 
resist  his  arms  and  the  sacred  standard  of  the  Prophet.  Im 
patient  of  the  tedious  delays  of  a  siege,  he  led  his  troops 
boldly  against  the  rock-built  towers  of  Ceuta,  and  attempted 
to  take  the  place  by  storm.  The  onset  was  fierce,  and  the 
struggle  desperate :  the  swarthy  sons  of  the  desert  were  light 
and  vigorous,  and  of  fiery  spirit ;  but  the  Goths,  inured  to 
danger  on  this  frontier,  retained  the  stubborn  valor  of  their 
race,  so  impaired  among  their  brethren  in  Spain.  They  were 
commanded,  too.  by  one  skilled  in  warfare  and  ambitious  of 
renown.  After  a  vehement  conflict  the  Moslem  assailants 
were  repulsed  from  all  points,  and  driven  from  the  walls. 
Don  Julian  sallied  forth  and  harassed  them  in  their  retreat, 
and  so  severe  was  the  carnage  that  the  veteran  Muza  was  fain 
to  break  up  his  camp  and  retire  confounded  from  the  siege. 

The  victory  at  Ceuta  resounded  throughout  Tingitania,  and 
spread  universal  joy.  On  every  side  were  heard  shouts  of 
exultation  mingled  with  praises  of  Count  Julian.  He  was 
hailed  by  the  people,  wherever  he  went,  as  their  deliverer, 
and  blessings  were  invoked  upon  his  head.  The  heart  of 
Count  Julian  was  lifted  up,  and  his  spirit  swelled  within  him ; 
but  it  was  with  noble  and  virtuous  pride,  for  he  was  conscious 
of  having  merited  the  blessings  of  his  country. 

In  the  midst  of  his  exultation,  and  while  the  rejoicings 
of  the  people  were  yet  sounding  in  his  ears,  the  page  arrived 
who  bore  the  letter  from  his  unfortunate  daughter. 


48  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

"  What  tidings  from  the  king  ? "  said  the  count,  as  the 
page  knelt  before  him.  "  None,  my  lord,"  replied  the  youth ; 
"  but  I  bear  a  letter  sent  in  all  haste  by  the  Lady  Florinda." 

He  took  the  letter  from  his  bosom  and  presented  it  to  his 
lord.  As  Count  Julian  read  it  his  countenance  darkened 
and  fell.  "  This,"  said  he,  bitterly,  "  is  my  reward  for  serving 
a  tyrant;  and  these  are  the  honors  heaped  on  me  by  my 
country  while  fighting  its  battles  in  a  foreign  land.  May 
evil  overtake  me,  and  infamy  rest  upon  my  name,  if  I  cease 
until  I  have  full  measure  of  revenge. 

Count  Julian  was  vehement  in  his  passions,  and  took  no 
council  in  his  wrath.  His  spirit  was  haughty  in  the  extreme, 
but  destitute  of  true  magnanimity,  and  when  once  wounded, 
turned  to  gall  and  venom.  A  dark  and  malignant  hatred 
entered  into  his  soul,  not  only  against  Don  Roderick,  but 
against  all  Spain ;  he  looked  upon  it  as  the  scene  of  his  dis 
grace,  a  land  in  which  his  family  was  dishonored,  and,  in 
seeking  to  revenge  the  wrongs  he  had  suffered  from  his  sov 
ereign,  he  meditated  against  his  native  country  one  of  the 
blackest  schemes  of  treason  that  ever  entered  into  the  human 
heart. 

The  plan  of  Count  Julian  was  to  hurl  King  Roderick  from 
his  throne,  and  to  deliver  all  Spain  into  the  hands  of  the 
infidels.  In  concerting  and  executing  this  treacherous  plot, 
it  seemed  as  if  his  whole  nature  was  changed ;  every  lofty 
and  generous  sentiment  was  stifled,  and  he  stooped  to  the 
meanest  dissimulation.  His  first  object  was,  to  extricate  his 
family  from  the  power  of  the  king,  and  to  remove  it  from 
Spain  before  his  treason  should  be  known;  his  next,  to  de 
prive  the  country  of  its  remaining  means  of  defence  against 
an  invader. 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  49 

With  these  dark  purposes  at  heart,  but  with  an  open  and 
serene  countenance,  he  crossed  to  Spain  and  repaired  to  the 
court  at  Toledo.  Wherever  he  came  he  was  hailed  with 
acclamation,  as  a  victorious  general,  and  appeared  in  the 
presence  of  his  sovereign  radiant  with  the  victory  at  Ceuta. 
Concealing  from  King  Roderick  his  knowledge  of  the  out 
rage  upon  his  house,  he  professed  nothing  but  the  most  de 
voted  loyalty  and  affection. 

The  king  loaded  him  with  favors  ;  seeking  to  appease  his 
own  conscience  by  heaping  honors  upon  the  father  in  atone 
ment  of  the  deadly  wrong  inflicted  upon  his  child.  He  re 
garded  Count  Julian,  also,  as  a  man  able  and  experienced 
in  warfare,  and  took  his  advice  in  all  matters  relating  to 
the  military  affairs  of  the  kingdom.  The  count  magnified 
the  dangers  that  threatened  the  frontier  under  his  command, 
and  prevailed  upon  the  king  to  send  thither  the  best  horses 
and  arms  remaining  from  the  time  of  Witiza,  there  being 
no  need  of  them  in  the  centre  of  Spain,  in  its  present  tran 
quil  state.  The  residue,  at  his  suggestion,  was  stationed  on 
the  frontiers  of  Gallia ;  so  that  the  kingdom  was  left  almost 
wholly  without  defence  against  any  sudden  irruption  from 
the  south. 

Having  thus  artfully  arranged  his  plans,  and  all  things  being 
prepared  for  his  return  to  Africa,  he  obtained  permission  to 
withdraw  his  daiighter  from  the  court,  and  leave  her  with 
her  mother,  the  Countess  Frandina,  who,  he  pretended,  lay 
dangerously  ill  at  Algeziras.  Count  Julian  issued  out  of  the 
sate  of  the  citv,  followed  bv  a  shining  band  of  chosen  fol- 

o  «/  -7  t,  o 

lowers,  while  beside  him,  on  a  palfrey,  rode  the  pale  and 
weeping  Florinda.  The  populace  hailed  and  blessed  him 
as  he  passed,  but  his  heart  turned  from  them  with  loathing. 


50  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

As  he  crossed  the  bridge  of  the  Tagus  he  looked  back  with 
a  dark  brow  upon  Toledo,  and  raised  his  mailed  hand  and 
shook  it  at  the  royal  palace  of  King  Roderick,  which  crested 
the  rocky  height.  "  A  father's  curse,"  said  he,  "  be  upon  thee 
and  thine  !  may  desolation  fall  upon  thy  dwelling,  and  con 
fusion  and  defeat  upon  thy  realm ! " 

In  his  journeyings  through  the  country,  he  looked  round 
him  with  a  malignant  eye :  the  pipe  of  the  shepherd  and  the 
song  of  the  husbandman  were  as  discord  to  his  soul ;  every 
sight  and  sound  of  human  happiness  sickened  him  at  heart ; 
and,  in  the  bitterness  of  his  spirit,  he  prayed  that  he  might 
see  the  whole  scene  of  prosperity  laid  waste  with  fire  and 
sword  by  the  invader. 

The  story  of  domestic  outrage  and  disgrace  had  already 
been  made  known  to  the  Countess  Frandina.  When  the  hap 
less  Florinda  came  in  presence  of  her  mother,  she  fell  on 
her  neck,  and  hid  her  face  in  her  bosom,  and  wept ;  but  the 
countess  shed  never  a  tear,  for  she  was  a  woman  haughty 
of  spirit  and  strong  of  heart.  She  looked  her  husband  sternly 
in  the  face.  "  Perdition  light  upon  thy  head,"  said  she,  *'  if 
thou  submit  to  this  dishonor.  For  my  own  part,  woman  as 
I  am,  I  will  assemble  the  followers  of  my  house,  nor  rest 
until  rivers  of  blood  have  washed  away  this  stain." 

"  Be  satisfied,"  replied  the  count ;  "  vengeance  is  on  foot,  and 
will  be  sure  and  ample." 

Being  now  in  his  own  domains,  surrounded  by  his  relatives 
and  friends,  Count  Julian  went  on  to  complete  his  web  of  trea 
son.  In  this  he  was  aided  by  his  brother-in-law,  Oppas,  the 
Bishop  of  Seville,  —  a  man  dark  and  perfidious  as  the  night, 
but  devout  in  demeanor,  and  smooth  and  plausible  in  council. 
This  artful  prelate  had  contrived  to  work  himself  into  the 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  51 

entire  confidence  of  the  king,  and  had  even  prevailed  upon 
him  to  permit  his  nephews,  Evan  and  Siseburto,  the  exiled  sons 
of  Witiza,  to  return  into  Spain.  They  resided  in  Andalusia, 
and  were  now  looked  to  as  fit  instruments  in  the  present  trai 
torous  conspiracy. 

By  the  advice  of  the  bishop,  Count  Julian  called  a  secret 
meeting  of  his  relatives  and  adherents  on  a  wild  rocky  moun 
tain,  not  far  from  Consuegra,  and  which  still  bears  the  Moorish 
appellation  of  "  La  Sierra  de  Calderin,"  or  the  mountain  of 
treason.*  When  all  were  assembled,  Count  Julian  appeared 
among  them,  accompanied  by  the  bishop  and  by  the  Countess 
Frandina.  Then  gathering  around  him  those  who  were  of  his 
blood  and  kindred,  he  revealed  the  outrage  that  had  been 
offered  to  their  house.  He  represented  to  them  that  Roderick 
was  their  legitimate  enemy  ;  that  he  had  dethroned  Witiza, 
their  relation,  and  had  now  stained  the  honor  of  one  of  the 
most  illustrious  daughters  of  their  line.  The  Countess  Fran 
dina  seconded  his  words.  She  was  a  woman  majestic  in 
person  and  eloquent  of  tongue,  and  being  inspired  by  a 
mother's  feelings,  her  speech  aroused  the  assembled  cavaliers 
to  fury. 

The  count  took  advantage  of  the  excitement  of  the  moment 
to  unfold  his  plan.  •  The  main  object  was  to  dethrone  Don 
Roderick,  and  give  the  crown  to  the  sons  of  the  late  King 
Witiza.  By  this  means  they  would  visit  the  sins  of  the  tyrant 
upon  his  head,  and,  at  the  same  time,  restore  the  regal  honors 
to  their  line.  For  this  purpose  their  own  force  would  be  insuf 
ficient,  but  they  might  procure  the  aid  of  Muza  ben  Nosier, 
the  Arabian  general,  in  Mauritania,  who  would  no  doubt  gladly 
send  a  part  of  his  troops  into  Spain  to  assist  in  the  enterprise. 
*  Bleda,  cap.  5. 


52  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

The  plot  thus  suggested  by  Count  Julian  received  the  unholy 
sanction  of  Bishop  Oppas,  who  engaged  to  aid  it  secretly  with 
all  his  influence  and  means  ;  for  he  had  great  wealth  and  pos 
sessions,  and  many  retainers.  The  example  of  the  reverend 
prelate  determined  all  who  might  otherwise  have  wavered, 
and  they  bound  themselves  by  dreadful  oaths  to  be  true  to  the 
conspiracy.  Count  Julian  undertook  to  proceed  to  Africa,  and 
seek  the  camp  of  Muza,  to  negotiate  for  his  aid,  while  the 
bishop  was  to  keep  about  the  person  of  King  Roderick,  and 
lead  him  into  the  net  prepared  for  him. 

All  things  being  thus  arranged,  Count  Julian  gathered  to 
gether  his  treasure,  and  taking  his  wife  and  daughter  and  all 
his  household,  abandoned  the  country  he  meant  to  betray,  — 
embarking  at  Malaga  for  Ceuta.  The  gate  in  the  wall  of  that 
city,  thrdligh  which  they  went  forth,  continued  for  ages  to  bear 
the  name  of  Puerto,  de  la  Cava,  or  the  gate  of  the  harlot ;  for 
such  was  the  opprobrious  and  unmerited  appellation  bestowed 
by  the  Moors  on  the  unhappy  Florinda.* 

*  Bleda,  cap.  4. 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  53 


CHAPTER   IX. 

SECRET  VISIT  OF    COUNT   JULIAN    TO  THE  ARAB  CAMP. FIRST 

EXPEDITION    OF    TARIC    EL    TUERTO. 

WHEN  Count  Julian  had  placed  his  family  in  security  in 
Ceuta,  surrounded  by  soldiery  devoted  to  his  fortunes,  he  took 
with  him  a  few  confidential  followers  and  departed  in  secret  for 
the  camp  of  the  Arabian  Emir,  Muza  ben  Nosier.  The  camp 
was  spread  out  in  one  of  those  pastoral  valleys  which  lie  at  the 
feet  of  the  Barbary  Hills,  with  the  great  range  of  the  Atlas 
Mountains  towering  in  the  distance.  In  the  motley  army  here 
assembled  were  warriors  of  every  tribe  and  nation,  that  had 
been  united  by  pact  or  conquest  in  the  cause  of  Islam.  There 
were  those  who  had  followed  Muza  from  the  fertile  regions  of 
Egypt,  across  the  deserts  of  Barca,  and  those  who  had  joined 
his  standard  from  among  the  sunburnt  tribes  of  Mauritania. 
There  were  Saracen  and  Tartar,  Syrian  and  Copt,  and  swarthy 
Moor ;  sumptuous  warriors  from  the  civilized  cities  of  the  East, 
and  the  gaunt  and  predatory  rovers  of  the  desert.  The  greater 
part  of  the  army,  however,  was  composed  of  Arabs ;  but  dif 
fering  greatly  from  the  first  rude  hordes  that  enlisted  under  the 
banner  of  Mahomet.  Almost  a  century  of  continual  wars  with 
the  cultivated  nations  of  the  East  had  rendered  them  accom 
plished  warriors  ;  and  the  occasional  sojourn  in  luxurious  coun 
tries  and  populous  cities,  had  acquainted  them  with  the  arts 
and  habits  of  civilized  life.  Still  the  roving,  restless,  and  pred- 


•54  THE    LEGEND    OF    DON    RODERICK. 

atory  habits  of  the  genuine  son  of  Ishmael  prevailed,   in  de 
fiance  of  every  change  of  clime  or  situation. 

Count  Julian  found  the  Arab  conqueror  Muza  surrounded 
by  somewhat  of  Oriental  state  and  splendor.  He  was  advanced 
in  life,  but  of  a  noble  presence,  and  concealed  his  age  by  ting 
ing  his  hair  and  beard  with  henna.  The  count  assumed  an  air 
of  soldier-like  frankness  and  decision  when  he  came  into  his 
presence.  "  Hitherto,"  said  he,  "  we  have  been  enemies ;  but  I 
come  to  thee  in  peace,  and  it  rests  with  thee  to  make  me  the 
most  devoted  of  thy  friends.  I  have  no  longer  country  or 
king.  Roderick  the  Goth  is  an  usurper,  and  my  deadly  foe ; 
he  has  wounded  my  honor  in  the  tenderest  point,  and  my  coun 
try  affords  me  no  redress.  Aid  me  in  my  vengeance,  and  I 
will  deliver  all  Spain  into  thy  hands,  —  a  land  far  exceeding  in 
fertility  and  wealth  all  the  vaunted  regions  thou  hast  conquered 
in  Tingitania." 

The  heart  of  Muza  leaped  with  joy  at  these  words,  for  he 
was  a  bold  and  ambitious  conqueror,  and,  having  overrun  all 
western  Africa,  had  often  cast  a  wistful  eye  to  the  mountains  of 
Spain,  as  he  beheld  them  brightening  beyond  the  waters  of  the 
strait.  Still  he  possessed  the  caution  of  a  veteran,  and  feared 
to  engage  in  an  enterprise  of  such  moment,  and  to  carry  his 
arms  into  another  division  of  the  globe,  without  the  approba 
tion  of  his  sovereign.  Having  drawn  from  Count  Julian  the 
particulars  of  his  plan,  and  of  the  means  he  possessed  to  carry 
it  into  effect,  he  laid  them  before  his  confidential  counsellors 
and  officers,  and  demanded  their  opinion.  "  These  words  of 
Count  Julian,"  said  he,  "  may  be  false  and  deceitful ;  or  he. 
may  not  possess  the  power  to  fulfil  his  promises.  The  whole 
may  be  a  pretended  treason  to  draw  us  on  to  our  destruction. 
It  is  more  natural  that  he  should  be  treacherous  to  us  than  to 
his  country." 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  55 

Among  the  generals  of  Muza,  was  a  gaunt  swarthy  veteran, 
scarred  with  wounds,  —  a  very  Arab,  whose  great  delight  was 
roving  and  desperate  enterprise,  and  who  cared  for  nothing  be 
yond  his  steed,  his  lance,  and  scimitar.  He  was  a  native  of 
Damascus ;  his  name  was  Taric  ben  Zeyad,  but,  from  having 
lost  an  eye,  he  was  known  among  the  Spaniards  by  the  appel 
lation  of  Taric  el  Tuerto,  or  Taric,  the  one-eyed. 

The  hot  blood  of  this  veteran  Ishmaelite  was  in  a  ferment 
when  he  heard  of  a  new  country  to  invade,  and  vast  regions  to 
subdue,  and  he  dreaded  lest  the  cautious  hesitation  of  Muza 
should  permit  the  glorious  prize  to  escape  them.  "  You  speak 
doubtingly,"  said  he,  "  of  the  words  of  this  Christian  cavalier, 
but  their  truth  is  easily  to  be  ascertained.  Give  me  four  gal 
leys  and  a  handful  of  men,  and  I  will  depart  with  this  Count 
Julian,  skirt  the  Christian  coast,  and  bring  thee  back  tidings 
of  the  land,  and  of  his  means  to  put  it  in  our  power." 

The  words  of  the  veteran  pleased  Muza  ben  Nosier,  and  he 
gave  his  consent ;  and  Taric  departed  with  four  galleys  and 
five  hundred  men,  guided  by  the  traitor  Julian.*  This  first 
expedition  of  the  Arabs  against  Spain  took  place,  according  to 
certain  historians,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord  seven  hundred  and 
twelve ;  though  others  differ  on  this  point,  as  indeed  they  do 
upon  almost  every  point  in  this  early  period  of  Spanish  history. 
The  date  to  which  the  judicious  chroniclers  incline,  is  that  of 
seven  hundred  and  ten,  in  the  month  of  July.  It  would  appear 
from  some  authorities,  also,  that  the  galleys  of  Taric  cruised 
along  the  coasts  of  Andalusia  and  Lusitania,  under  the  feigned 
character  of  merchant  barks,  nor  is  this  at  all  improbable,  while 
they  were  seeking  merely  to  observe  the  land,  and  get  a  knowl- 

*  Beuter,  Cron.  Gen.  de  Espana,  L.  1,  c.  28.      Marmol.  Descrip.  de  Africa,  L. 
2,  c.  10. 


56  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  KODER1CK. 

edge  of  the  harbors.  Wherever  they  touched,  Count  Julian 
dispatched  emissaries  to  assemble  his  friends  and  adherents  at 
an  appointed  place.  They  gathered  together  secretly  at.  Gezira 
Alhadra,  that  is  to  say,  the  Green  Island,  where  they  held  a 
conference  with  Count  Julian  in  presence  of  Taric  ben  Zeyad.* 
Here  they  again  avowed  their  readiness  to  flock  to  his  standard 
whenever  it  should  be  openly  raised,  and  made  known  their 
various  preparations  for  a  rebellion.  Taric  was  convinced,  by 
all  that  he  had  seen  and  heard,  that  Count  Julian  had  not  de 
ceived  them,  either  as  to  his  disposition  or  his  means  to  betray 
his  country.  Indulging  his  Arab  inclinations,  he  made  an  in 
road  into  the  land,  collected  great  spoil  and  many  captives,  and 
bore  off  his  plunder  in  triumph  to  Muza,  as  a  specimen  of  the 
riches  to  be  gained  by  the  conquest  of  the  Christian  land.| 
*  Bleda,  Cron.  c.  5.  t  Conde,  Hist.  Dam  Arab,  part  1,  c.  8. 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  57 


CHAPTER   X. 

LETTER    OF   MTJZA    TO    THE   CALIPH. SECOND    EXPEDITION    OF 

TARIC    EL    TUERTO. 

ON  hearing  the  tidings  brought  by  Taric  el  Tuerto,  and  be 
holding  the  spoil  he  had  collected,  Muza  wrote  a  letter  to  the 
Caliph  Waled  Almanzor,  setting  forth  the  traitorous  proffer  of 
Count  Julian,  and  the  probability,  through  his  means,  of  mak 
ing  a  successful  invasion  of  Spain.  "  A  new  land,"  said  he, 
"  spreads  itself  out  before  our  delighted  eyes,  and  invites  our 
conquest :  a  land,  too,  that  equals  Syria  in  the  fertility  of  its 
soil  and  the  serenity  of  its  sky  ;  Yemen,  or  Arabia  the  Happy, 
in  its  delightful  temperature  ;  India,  in  its  flowers  and  spices  ; 
Hegiaz,  in  its  fruits  and  flowers  ;  Cathay,  in  its  precious  miner 
als  ;  and  Aden,  in  the  excellence  of  its  ports  and  harbors.  It  is 
populous  also,  and  wealthy ;  having  many  splendid  cities  and 
majestic  monuments  of  ancient  art.  What  is  to  prevent  this 
glorious  land  from  becoming  the  inheritance  of  the  faithful  ? 
Already  we  have  overcome  the  tribes  of  Berbery,  of  Zab,  of 
Derar,  of  Zaara,  Mazamuda  and  Sus,  and  the  victorious  stand 
ard  of  Islam  floats  on  the  towers  of  Tangier.  But  four 
leagues  of  sea  separate  us  from  the  opposite  coast.  One  word 
from  my  sovereign,  and  the  conquerors  of  Africa  will  pour 
their  legions  into  Andalusia,  rescue  it  from  the  domination  of 
the  unbeliever,  and  subdue  it  to  the  law  of  the  Koran."  * 

*  Coude,  part  1,  c.  8. 
VOL.  i.  4 


58  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

The  caliph  was  overjoyed  with  the  contents  of  the  letter. 
"  God  is  great !  "  exclaimed  he,  "  and  Mahomet  is  his  prophet ! 
It  has  been  foretold  by  the  ambassador  of  God  that  his  law 
should  extend  to  the  ultimate  parts  of  the  West,  and  be  car 
ried  by  the  sword  into  new  and  unknown  regions.  Behold  an 
other  land  is  opened  for  the  triumphs  of  the  faithful.  It  is  the 
will  of  Allah,  and  be  his  sovereign  will  obeyed."  So  the  caliph 
sent  missives  to  Muza,  authorizing  him  to  undertake  the  con 
quest. 

Upon  this  there  was  a  great  stir  of  preparation,  and  numer 
ous  vessels  were  assembled  and  equipped  at  Tangier  to  convey 
the  invading  army  across  the  straits.  Twelve  thousand  men 
were  chosen  for  this  expedition,  —  most  of  them  light  Arabian 
troops,  seasoned  in  warfare,  and  fitted  for  hardy  and  rapid  en 
terprise.  Among  them  were  many  horsemen,  mounted  on 
fleet  Arabian  steeds.  The  whole  was  put  under  the  command 
of  the  veteran  Taric  el  Tuerto,  or  the  one-eyed,  in  whom  Muza 
reposed  implicit  confidence  as  in  a  second  self.  Taric  accepted 
the  command  with  joy ;  his  martial  fire  was  roused  at  the  idea 
of  having  such  an  army  under  his  sole  command,  and  such  a 
country  to  overrun,  and  he  secretly  determined  never  to  return 
unless  victorious. 

He  chose  a  dark  night  to  convey  his  troops  across  the  Straits 
of  Hercules,  and  by  break  of  day  they  began  to  disembark  at 
Tarifa  before  the  country  had  time  to  take  the  alarm.  A  few 
Christians  hastily  assembled  from  the  neighborhood  and  op 
posed  their  landing,  but  were  easily  put  to  flight.  Taric  stood 
on  the  sea-side,  and  watched  until  the  last  squadron  had  landed, 
and  all  the  horses,  armor,  and  munitions  of  war  were  brought 
on  shore ;  he  then  gave  orders  to  set  fire  to  the  ships.  The 
Moslems  were  struck  with  terror  when  they  beheld  their  fleet 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  59 

wrapped  in  flames  and  smoke,  and  sinking  beneath  the  waves. 
"  How  shall  we  escape,"  exclaimed  they,  "  if  the  fortune  of  war 
should  be  against  us  ?  "  "  There  is  no  escape  for  the  coward," 
cried  Taric  ;  "  the  brave  man  thinks  of  none  ;  your  only  chance 
is  victory."  "  But  how  without  ships  shall  we  ever  return  to 
our  homes  ?  "  "  Your  homes,"  replied  Taric,  "  are  before  you  ; 
but  you  must  win  them  with  your  swords." 

While  Taric  was  yet  talking  with  his  followers,  says  one  of 
the  ancient  chroniclers,  a  Christian  female  was  descried  waving 
a  white  pennon  on  a  reed,  in  signal  of  peace.  On  being 
brought  into  the  presence  of  Taric,  she  prostrated  herself  be 
fore  him.  "  Senor,"  said  she,  "  I  am  an  ancient  woman ;  and 
it  is  now  fully  sixty  years  past  and  gone  since,  as  I  was  keeping 
vigils  one  winter's  night  by  the  fireside,  I  heard  my  father,  who 
was  an  exceeding  old  man,  read  a  prophecy  said  to  have  been 
written  by  a  holy  friar  ;  and  this  was  the  purport  of  the  proph 
ecy,  that  a  time  would  arrive  when  our  country  would  be  in 
vaded  and  conquered  by  a  people  from  Africa  of  a  strange 
garb,  a  strange  tongue,  and  a  strange  religion.  They  were  to 
be  led  by  a  strong  and  valiant  captain,  who  would  be  known  by 
these  signs :  on  his  right  shoulder  he  would  have  a  hairy  mole, 
and  his  right  arm  would  be  much  longer  than  the  left,  and  of 
such  length  as  to  enable  him  to  cover  his  knee  with  his  hand 
without  bending  his  body." 

Taric  listened  to  the  old  beldame  with  grave  attention,  and 
when  she  had  concluded,  he  laid  bare  his  shoulder,  and  lo ! 
there  was  the  mole  as  it  had  been  described ;  his  right  arm, 
also,  was  in  verity  found  to  exceed  the  other  in  length,  though 
not  to  the  degree  that  had  been  mentioned.  Upon  this  the 
Arab  host  shouted  for  joy,  and  felt  assured  of  conquest. 

The  discreet  Antonio  Agapida,  though  he  records  this  cir- 


60  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

cumstance  as  it  is  set  down  in  ancient  chronicle,  yet  withholds 
his  belief  from  the  pretended  prophecy,  considering  the  whole 
a  cunning  device  of  Taric  to  increase  the  courage  of  his  troops. 
"  Doubtless,"  says  he,  "  there  was  a  collusion  between  this  an 
cient  sibyl  and  the  crafty  son  of  Ishmael ;  for  these  infidel 
leaders  were  full  of  damnable  inventions  to  work  upon  the 
superstitioiis  fancies  of  their  followers,  and  to  inspire  them  with 
a  blind  confidence  in  the  success  of  their  arms." 

Be  this  as  it  may,  the  veteran  Taric  took  advantage  of  the 
excitement  of  his  soldiery,  and  led  them  forward  to  gain  pos 
session  of  a  stronghold,  which  was,  in  a  manner,  the  key  to 
all  the  adjacent  country.  This  was  a  lofty  mountain  or  prom 
ontory  almost  surrounded  by  the  sea,  and  connected  with 
the  main  land  by  a  narrow  isthmus.  It  was  called  the  rock  of 
Calpe,  and,  like  the  opposite  rock  of  Ceuta,  commanded  the 
entrance  to  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  Here  in  old  times,  Her 
cules  had  set  up  one  of  his  pillars,  and  the  city  of  Heraclea 
had  been  built. 

As  Taric  advanced  against  this  promontory,  he  was  opposed 
by  a  hasty  levy  of  the  Christians,  who  had  assembled  under  the 
banner  of  a  Gothic  noble  of  great  power  and  importance, 
whose  domains  lay  along  the  mountainous  coast  of  the  Medi 
terranean.  The  name  of  this  Christian  cavalier  was  Theodo- 
mir,  but  he  has  universally  been  called  Tadmir  by  the  Arabian 
historians,  and  is  renowned  as  being  the  first  commander  that 
made  any  stand  against  the  inroad  of  the  Moslems.  He  was 
about  forty  years  of  age ;  hardy,  prompt,  and  sagacious ;  and 
had  all  the  Gothic  nobles  been  equally  vigilant  and  shrewd 
in  their  defence,  the  banner  of  Islam  would  never  have  tri 
umphed  over  the  land. 

Theodomir  had  but  seventeen  hundred  men  under  his  com- 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  61 

mand,  and  these  but  rudely  armed ;  yet  he  made  a  resolute 
stand  against  the  army  of  Taric,  and  defended  the  pass  to  the 
promontory  with  great  valor.  He  was  at  length  obliged  to 
retreat,  and  Taric  advanced  and  planted  his  standard  on  the 
rock  of  Calpe,  and  fortified  it  as  his  stronghold,  and  as  the 
means  of  securing  an  entrance  into  the  land.  To  commem 
orate  his  first  victory,  he  changed  the  name  of  the  promon 
tory,  and  called  it  Gibel  Taric,  or  the  Mountain  of  Taric,  but 
in  process  of  time  the  name  has  gradually  been  altered  to 
Gibraltar. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  patriotic  chieftain  Theodomir,  having 
collected  his  routed  forces,  encamped  with  them  on  the  skirts 
of  the  mountains,  and  summoned  the  country  round  to  join  his 
standard.  He  sent  off  missives  in  all  speed  to  the  king,  im 
parting  in  brief  and  blunt  terms  the  news  of  the  invasion,  and 
craving  assistance  with  equal  frankness.  "  Senor,"  said  he,  in 
his  letter,  "  the  legions  of  Africa  are  upon  us,  but  whether  they 
come  from  heaven  or  earth  I  know  not.  They  seem  to  have 
fallen  from  the  clouds,  for  they  have  no  ships.  We  have  been 
taken  by  surprise,  overpowered  by  numbers,  and  obliged  to 
retreat ;  and  they  have  fortified  themselves  in  our  territory. 
Send  us  aid,  Senor,  with  instant  speed,  or  rather,  come  your 
self  to  our  assistance."  * 

*  Conde,  part  1,  c.  9. 


02  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

MEASURES     OF     DON     RODERICK     ON     HEARING     OF     THE     1NVA- 
SION. EXPEDITION    OF   ATAULPHO. VISION    OF     TARIC. 

WHEN  Don  Roderick  heard  that  legions  of  turbaned  troops 
had  poured  into  the  land  from  Africa,  he  called  to  mind  the 
visions  and  predictions  of  the  necromantic  tower,  and  great 
fear  came  upon  him.  But,  though  sunk  from  his  former  hardi 
hood  and  virtue,  though  enervated  by  indulgence,  and  de 
graded  in  spirit  by  a  consciousness  of  crime,  he  was  resolute 
of  soul,  and  roused  himself  to  meet  the  coming  danger.  He 
summoned  a  hasty  levy  of  horse  and  foot,  amounting  to  forty 
thousand ;  but  now  were  felt  the  effects  of  the  crafty  counsel 
of  Count  Julian,  for  the  best  of  the  horses  and  armor  intended 
for  the  public  service  had  been  sent  into  Africa,  and  were 
really  in  possession  of  the  traitors.  Many  nobles,  it  is  true, 
took  the  field  with  the  sumptuous  array  with  which  they  had 
been  accustomed  to  appear  at  tournaments  and  jousts,  but 
most  of  their  vassals  were  destitute  of  weapons,  and  cased  in 
cuirasses  of  leather,  or  suits  of  armor  almost  consumed  by 
rust.  They  were  without  discipline  or  animation  ;  and  their 
horses,  like  themselves,  pampered  by  slothful  peace,  were  little 
fitted  to  bear  the  heat,  the  dust,  and  toil  of  long  campaigns. 

This  army  Don  Roderick  put  under  the  command  of  his 
kinsman  Ataulpho,  a  prince  of  the  royal  blood  of  the  Goths, 
and  of  a  noble  and  generous  nature  ;  and  he  ordered  him  to 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  63 

march  with  all  speed  to  meet  the  foe,  and  to  recruit  his  forces 
on  the  way  with  the  troops  of  Theodomir 

In  the  mean  time,  Taric  el  Tuerto  had  received  large  rein 
forcements  from  Africa,  and  the  adherents  of  Count  Julian 
and  all  those  discontented  with  the  sway  of  Don  Eoderick 
had  flocked  to  his  standard  ;  for  many  were  deceived  by  the 
representations  of  Count  Julian,  and  thought  that  the  Arabs 
had  come  to  aid  him  in  placing  the  sons  of  Witiza  upon  the 
throne.  Guided  by  the  count,  the  troops  of  Taric  penetrated 
into  various  parts  of  the  country,  and  laid  waste  the  land ; 
bringing  back  loads  of  spoil  to  their  stronghold  at  the  rock 
of  Calpe. 

The  Prince  Ataulpho  marched  with  his  army  through  Anda 
lusia,  and  was  joined  by  Theodomir  with  his  troops ;  he  met 
with  various  detachments  of  the  enemy  foraging  the  country, 
and  had  several  bloody  skirmishes ;  but  he  succeeded  in  driv 
ing  them  before  him,  and  they  retreated  to  the  rock  of  Calpe, 
where  Taric  lay  gathered  up  with  the  main  body  of  his  army. 

The  prince  encamped  not  far  from  the  bay  which  spreads 
itself  out  before  the  promontory.  In  the  evening  he  dispatched 
the  veteran  Theodomir,  with  a  trumpet,  to  demand  a  parley 
of  the  Arab  chieftain,  who  received  the  envoy  in  his  tent,  sur 
rounded  by  his  captains.  Theodomir  was  frank  and  abrupt  in 
speech,  for  the  most  of  his  life  had  been  passed  far  from  courts. 
He  delivered,  in  round  terms,  the  message  of  the  Prince  Ataul 
pho  ;  upbraiding  the  Arab  general  with  his  wanton  invasion  of 
the  land,  and  summoning  him  to  surrender  his  army  or  to  ex 
pect  no  mercy. 

The  single  eye  of  Taric  el  Tuerto  glowed  like  a  coal  of  fire 
at  this  message.  "  Tell  your  commander,"  replied  he,  "  that 
I  have  crossed  the  strait  to  conquer  Spain,  nor  will  I  return 


64  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

until  I  have  accomplished  my  purpose.  Tell  him  I  have  men 
skilled  in  war,  and  armed  in  proof,  with  whose  aid  I  trust  soon 
to  give  a  good  account  of  his  rabble  host." 

A  murmur  of  applause  passed  through  the  assemblage  of 
Moslem  captains.  Theodomir  glanced  on  them  a  look  of  de 
fiance,  but  his  eye  rested  on  a  renegado  Christian,  one  of  his 
own  ancient  comrades,  and  a  relation  of  Count  Julian.  "As 
to  you,  Don  Graybeard,"  said  he,  "  you  who  turn  apostate  in 
your  declining  age,  I  here  pronounce  you  a  traitor  to  your 
God,  your  king,  and  country  ;  and  stand  ready  to  prove  it 
this  instant  upon  your  body,  if  field  be  granted  me." 

The  traitor  knight  was  stung  with  rage  at  these  words,  for 
truth  rendered  them  piercing  to  the  heart.  He  would  have 
immediately  answered  to  the  challange,  but  Taric  forbade  it, 
and  ordered  that  the  Christian  envoy  should  be  conducted 
from  the  camp.  "  'T  is  well,"  replied  Theodomir;  '•  God  will 
give  me  the  field  which  you  deny.  Let  yon  hoary  apostate 
look  to  himself  to-morrow  in  the  battle,  for  I  pledge  myself 
to  use  my  lance  upon  no  other  foe  until  it  has  shed  his  blood 
upon  the  native  soil  he  has  betrayed."  So  saying,  he  left  the 
camp,  nor  could  the  Moslem  chieftains  help  admiring  the 
honest  indignation  of  this  patriot  knight,  while  they  secretly 
despised  his  renegado  adversary. 

The  ancient  Moorish  chroniclers  relate  many  awful  portents, 
and  strange  and  mysterious  visions,  which  appeared  to  the 
commanders  of  either  army  during  this  anxious  night.  Cer 
tainly  it  was  a  night  of  fearful  suspense,  and  Moslem  and 
Christian  looked  forward  with  doubt  to  the  fortune  of  the 
coming  day.  The  Spanish  sentinel  walked  his  pensive  round, 
listening  occasionally  to  the  vague  sounds  from  the  distant 
rock  of  Calpe,  and  eying  it  as  the  mariner  eyes  the  thunder- 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  65 

cloud,  pregnant  with  terror  and  destruction.  The  Arabs, 
too,  from  their  lofty  cliffs  beheld  the  numerous  camp-fires 
of  the  Christians  gradually  lighted  up,  and  saw  that  they 
were  a  powerful  host;  at  the  same  time  the  night  breeze 
brought  to  their  ears  the  sullen  roar  of  the  sea  which  sepa 
rated  them  from  Africa.  When  they  considered  their  peril 
ous  situation,  —  an  army  on  one  side,  with  a  whole  nation 
aroused  to  reinforce  it,  and  on  the  other  an  impassable  sea,  — 
the  spirits  of  many  of  the  warriors  were  cast  down,  and  they 
repented  the  day  when  they  had  ventured  into  this  hostile 
land. 

Taric  marked  their  despondency,  but  said  nothing.  Scarce 
had  the  first  streak  of  morning  light  trembled  along  the  sea, 
however,  when  he  summoned  his  principal  warriors  to  his 
tent.  "  Be  of  good  cheer,"  said  he ;  "  Allah  is  with  us,  and 
has  sent  his  Prophet  to  give  assurance  of  his  aid.  Scarce 
h-id  I  retired  to  my  tent  last  night,  when  a  man  of  a  majestic 
and  venerable  presence  stood  before  me.  He  was  taller  by 
a  palm  than  the  ordinary  race  of  men,  his  flowing  beard 
was  of  a  golden  hue,  and  his  eyes  were  so  bright  that  they 
seemed  to  send  forth  flashes  of  fire.  I  have  heard  the  Emir 
Bahamet,  and  other  ancient  men,  describe  the  Prophet,  whom 
they  had  seen  many  times  while  on  earth,  and  such  was  his 
form  and  lineament.  '  Fear  nothing,  0  Taric,  from  the  mor 
row,'  said  he  ;  '  I  will  be  with  thee  in  the  fight.  Strike  boldly, 
then,  and  conquer.  Those  of  thy  followers  who  survive  the 
battle  will  have  this  land  for  an  inheritance ;  for  those  who 
fall  a  mansion  in  paradise  is  prepared,  and  immortal  houries 
await  their  coming.'  He  spake  and  vanished;  I  heard  a 
strain  of  celestial  melody,  and  my  tent  was  filled  with  the 
odors  of  Arabia  the  Happy."  "  Such,"  say  the  Spanish  chron- 

4* 


66  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

iclers,  "  was  another  of  the  arts  by  which  this  arch  sbn  of 
Ishmael  sought  to  animate  the  hearts  of  his  followers ;  and 
the  pretended  vision  has  been  recorded  by  the  Arabian  writers 
as  a  veritable  occurrence.  Marvellous,  indeed,  was  the  effect 
produced  by  it  upon  the  infidel  soldiery,  who  now  cried  out 
with  eagerness  to  be  led  against  the  foe. 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  67 


CHAPTER  XII. 

BATTLE    OF    CALPE. FATE    OF    ATAULPHO. 

THE  gray  summits  of  the  rock  of  Calpe  brightened  with 
the  first  rays  of  morning,  as  the  Christian  army  issued  forth 
from  its  encampment.  The  Prince  Ataulpho  rode  from  squad 
ron  to  squadron,  animating  his  soldiers  for  the  battle.  "  Never 
should  we  sheathe  our  swords,"  said  he,  "  while  these  infidels 
have  a  footing  in  the  land.  They  are  pent  up  within  yon 
rocky  mountain ;  we  must  assail  them  in  their  rugged  hold. 
We  have  a  long  day  before  us ;  let  not  the  setting  sun  shine 
upon  one  of  their  host  who  is  not  a  fugitive,  a  captive,  or  a 
corpse." 

The  words  of  the  prince  were  received  with  shouts,  and 
the  army  moved  towards  the  promontory.  As  they  advanced, 
they  heard  the  clash  of  cymbals  and  the  bray  of  trumpets, 
and  the  rocky  bosom  of  the  mountain  glittered  with  helms 
and  spears  and  scimitars ;  for  the  Arabs,  inspired  with  fresh 
confidence  by  the  words  of  Taric,  were  sallying  forth,  with 
flaunting  banners,  to  the  combat. 

The  gaunt  Arab  chieftain  stood  upon  a  rock  as  his  troops 
marched  by ;  his  buckler  was  at  his  back,  and  he  brandished 
in  his  hand  a  double-pointed  spear.  Calling  upon  the  several 
leaders  by  their  names,  he  exhorted  them  to  direct  their 
attacks  against  the  Christian  captains,  and  especially  against 
Ataulpho ;  "  for  the  chiefs  being  slain,"  said  he,  "  their  fol 
lowers  will  vanish  from  before  us  like  the  morning  mist." 


68  ,  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

The  Gothic  nobles  were  easily  to  be  distinguished  by  the 
splendor  of  their  arms,  but  the  Prince  Ataulpho  was  con 
spicuous  above  all  the  rest  for  the  youthful  grace  and  majesty 
of  his  appearance  and  the  bravery  of  his  array.  He  was 
mounted  on  a  superb  Andalusian  charger,  richly  caparisoned 
with  crimson  velvet,  embroidered  with  gold.  His  surcoat 
was  of  like  color  and  adornment,  and  the  plumes  that  waved 
above  his  burnished  helmet  were  of  the  purest  white.  Ten 
mounted  pages,  magnificently  attired,  followed  him  to  the 
field,  but  their  duty  was  not  so  much  to  fight  as  to  attend 
upon  their  lord,  and  to  furnish  him  with  steed  or  weapon. 

The  Christian  troops,  though,  irregular  and  undisciplined, 
were  full  of  native  courage  ;  for  the  old  warrior  spirit  of  their 
Gothic  sires  still  glowed  in  their  bosoms.  There  were  two 
battalions  of  infantry,  but  Ataulpho  stationed  them  in  the 
rear ;  "  for  God  forbid,"  said  he,  "  that  foot-soldiers  should 
have  the  place  of  honor  in  the  battle,  when  I  have  so  many 
valiant  cavaliers."  As  the  armies  drew  nigh  to  each  other, 
however,  it  was  discovered  that  the  advance  of  the  Arabs 
was  composed  of  infantry.  Upon  this  the  cavaliers  checked 
their  steeds,  and  requested  that  the  foot  soldiery  might  ad 
vance  and  disperse  this  losel  crew,  holding  it  beneath  their 
dignity  to  contend  with  pedestrian  foes.  The  prince,  how 
ever,  commanded  them  to  charge ;  upon  which,  putting  spurs 
to  their  steeds,  they  rushed  upon  the  foe. 

The  Arabs  stood  the  shock  manfully,  receiving  the  horses 
upon  the  points  of  their  lances ;  many  of  the  riders  were 
shot  down  with  bolts  from  cross-bows,  or  stabbed  with  the 
poniards  of  the  Moslems.  The  cavaliers  succeeded,  however, 
in  breaking  into  the  midst  of  the  battalion  and  throwing 
it  into  confusion,  cutting  down  some  with  their  swords,  trans- 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  69 

piercing  others  with  their  spears,  and  trampling  many  under 
the  hoofs  of  their  horses.  At  this  moment  they  were  at 
tacked  by  a  band  of  Spanish  horsemen,  the  recreant  partisans 
of  Count  Julian.  Their  assault  bore  hard  upon  their  country 
men,  who  were  disordered  by  the  contest  with  the  foot-soldiers, 
and  many  a  loyal  Christian  knight  fell  beneath  the  sword  of 
an  unnatural  foe. 

The  foremost  among  these  recreant  warriors  was  the  rene- 
gado  cavalier  whom  Theodomir  had  challenged  in  the  tent 
of  Taric.  He  dealt  his  blows  about  him  with  a  powerful 
arm  and  with  malignant  fury,  for  nothing  is  more  deadly  than- 
the  hatred  of  an  apostate.  In  the  midst  of  his  career  he 
was  espied  by  the  hardy  Theodomir,  who  came  spurring  to 
the  encounter.  "Traitor,"  cried  he,  "I  have  kept  my  vow. 
This  lance  has  been  held  sacred  from  all  other  foes  to  make 
a  passage  for  thy  perjured  soul."  The  renegade  had  been 
renowned  for  prowess  before  he  became  a  traitor  to  his 
country,  but  guilt  will  sap  the  courage  of  the  stoutest  heart. 
When  he  beheld  Theodomir  rushing  upon  him,  he  would 
have  turned  and  fled ;  pride  alone  withheld  him ;  and,  though 
an  admirable  master  of  defence,  he  lost  all  "skill  to  ward  the 
attack  of  his  adversary.  At  the  first  assault  the  lance  of 
Theodomir  pierced  him  through  and  through ;  he  fell  to  the 
earth,  gnashed  his  teeth  as  he  rolled  in  the  dusf,  but  yielded 
his  breath  without  uttering  a  word. 

The  battle  now  became*  general,  and  lasted  throughout  the 
morning  with  varying  success.  The  stratagem  of  Taric,  how 
ever,  began  to  produce  its  effect.  The  Christian  leaders  and 
most  conspicuous  cavaliers  were  singled  out  and  severally  as 
sailed  by  overpowering  numbers.  They  fought  desperately,  and 
performed  miracles  of  prowess,  but  fell,  one  by  one,  beneath  a 


70  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

thousand  wounds.  Still  the  battle  lingered  on  throughout  a 
great  part  of  the  day,  and  as  the  declining  sun  shone  through 
the  clouds  of  dust,  it  seemed  as  if  the  conflicting  hosts  were 
wrapped  in  smoke  and  fire. 

The  Prince  Ataulpho  saw  that  the  fortune  of  battle  was 
against  him.  He  rode  about  the  field  calling  out  the  names 
of  the  bravest  of  his  knights,  but  few  answered  to  his  call ;  the 
rest  lay  mangled  on  the  field.  With  this  handful  of  warriors 
he  endeavored  to  retrieve  the  day,  when  he  was  assailed  by 
Tenderos,  a  partisan  of  Count  Julian,  at  the  head  of  a  body  of 
.recreant  Christians.  At  the  sight  of  this  new  adversary,  fire 
flashed  from  the  «yes  of  the  prince,  for  Tenderos  had  been 
brought  up  in  his  father's  palace.  "  Well  dost  thou,  traitor ! 
cried  he,  "  to  attack  the  son  of  thy  lord,  who  gave  thee  bread  ; 
thou,  who  hast  betrayed  thy  country  and  thy  God  !  " 

So  saying,  he  seized  a  lance  from  one  of  his  pages,  and 
charged  furiously  upon  the  apostate  ;  but  Tenderos  met  him 
in  mid  career,  and  the  lance  of  the  prince  was  shivered  upon 
his  shield.  Ataulpho  then  grasped  his  mace,  which  hung  at 
his  saddle-bow,  and  a  doubtful  fight  ensued.  Tenderos  was 
powerful  of  frame  and  superior  in  the  use  of  his  weapons, 
but  the  curse  of  treason  seemed  to  paralyze  his  arm.  He 
wounded  Ataulpho  slightly  between  the  greaves  of  his  ar 
mor,  but  the  Prince  dealt  a  blow  with  his  mace  that  crushed 
through  helm  and  skull  and  reached  the  brain  ;  and  Tenderos 
fell  dead  to  earth,  his  armor  rattling  as  he  fell. 

At  the  same  moment,  a  javelin  hurled  by  an  Arab  trans 
pierced  the  horse  of  Ataulpho,  which  sunk  beneath  him.  The 
prince  seized  the  reins  of  the  steed  of  Tenderos,  but  the 
faithful  animal,  as  though  he  knew  him  to  be  the  foe  of  his 
late  lord,  reared  and  plunged  and  refused  to  let  him  mount. 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  71 

The  prince,  however,  used  him  as  a  shield  to  ward  off  the 
press  of  foes,  while  with  his  sword  he  defended  himself 
against  those  in  front  of  him.  Taric  ben  Zeyad  arrived  at 
the  scene  of  conflict,  and  paused  for  a  moment  in  admiration 
of  the  surpassing  prowess  of  the  prince ;  recollecting,  how 
ever,  that  his  fall  would  be  a  death-blow  to  his  army,  he 
spurred  upon  him,  and  wounded  him  severely  with  his  scim 
itar.  Before  he  could  repeat  his  blow,  Theodomir  led  up  a 
body  of  Christian  cavaliers  to  the  rescue,  and  Taric  was 
parted  from  his  prey  by  the  tumult  of  the  fight.  The  prince 
sank  to  the  earth,  covered  with  wounds  and  exhausted  by 
the  loss  of  blood.  A  faithful  page  drew  him  from  iinder  the 
hoofs  of  the  horses,  and,  aided  by  a  veteran  soldier,  an  ancient 
vassal  of  Ataulpho,  conveyed  him  to  a  short  distance  from  the 
scene  of  battle,  by  the  side  of  a  small  stream  that  gushed  out 
from  among  rocks.  They  stanched  the  blood  that  flowed 
from  his  wounds,  and  washed  the  dust  from  his  face,  and  laid 
him  beside  the  fountain.  The  page  sat  at  his  head,  and  sup 
ported  it  on  his  knees,  and  the  veteran  stood  at  his  feet, 
with  his  brow  bent  and  his  eyes  full  of  sorrow.  The  prince 
gradually  revived,  and  opened  his  eyes.  "  How  fares  the  bat 
tle  ? "  said  he.  "  The  struggle  is  hard,"  replied  the  soldier, 
"  but  the  day  may  yet  be  ours." 

The   prince  felt  that  the  hour  of  his    death  was  at  hand, 

f 

and  ordered  that  they  should  aid  him  to  rise  upon  his  knees. 
They  supported  him  between  them,  and  he  prayed  fervently 
for  a  short  time,  when,  finding  his  strength  declining,  he 
beckoned  the  veteran  to  sit  down  beside  him  on  the  rock. 
Continuing  to  kneel,  he  confessed  himself  to  that  ancient 
soldier,  having  no  priest  or  friar  to  perform  that  office  in 
this  hour  of  extremity.  When  he  had  so  done,  he  sunk  again 


72  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

upon  the  earth  and  pressed  it  with  his  lips,  as  if  he  would 
take  a  fond  farewell  of  his  beloved  country.  The  page  would 
then  have  raised  his  head,  but  found  that  his  lord  had  yielded 
up  the  ghost. 

A  number  of  Arab  warriors,  who  came  to  the  fountain  to 
slake  their  thirst,  cut  off  the  head  of  the  prince,  and  bore  it  in 
triumph  to  Taric,  crying,  "  Behold  the  head  of  the  Christian 
leader."  Taric  immediately  ordered  that  the  head  should  be 
put  upon  the  end  of  a  lance,  together  with  surcoat  of  the 
prince,  and  borne  about  the  field  of  battle,  with  the  sound  of 
trumpets,  atabals,  and  cymbals. 

When  the  Christians  beheld  the  surcoat,  and  knew  the  feat 
ures  of  the  prince,  they  were  struck  with  horror,  and  heart 
and  hand  failed  them.  Theodomir  endeavored  in  vain  to  rally 
them  ;  they  threw  by  their  weapons  and  fled  ;  and  they  con  - 
tinued  to  fly,  and  the  enemy  to  pursue  and  slay  them,  until  the 
darkness  of  the  night  The  Moslems  then  returned  and  plun 
dered  the  Christian  camp,  where  they  found  abundant  spoil. 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  73 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

TERROR  OF  THE  COUNTRY.  —  RODERICK  ROUSES  HIMSELF  TO 

ARMS. 

THE  scattered  fugitives  of  the  Christian  army  spread  terror 
throughout  the  land.  The  inhabitants  of  the  towns  and  vil-t 
lages  gathered  around  them  as  they  applied  at  their  gates  for 
food,  or  laid  themselves  down  faint  and  wounded  beside  the 
public  fountains.  When  they  related  the  tale  of  their  defeat, 
old  men  shook  their  heads  and  groaned,  and  the  women  ut 
tered  cries  and  lamentations.  So  strange  and  unlooked-for  a 
calamity  filled  them  with  consternation  and  despair ;  for  it  was 
long  since  the  alarm  of  war  had  sounded  in  their  land,  and  this 
was  a  warfare  that  carried  chains  and  slavery,  and  all  kinds  of 
horrors  in  its  train. 

Don  Roderick  was  seated  with  his  beauteous  queen,  Exilona, 
in  the  royal  palace  which  crowned  the  rocky  summit  of 
Toledo,  when  the  bearer  of  ill  tidings  came  galloping  over  the 
bridge  of  the  Tagus.  "What  tidings  from  the  army  ?"  de 
manded  the  king,  as  the  panting  messenger  was  brought  into 
his  presence.  "  Tidings  of  great  woe,"  exclaimed  the  soldier. 
"  The  prince  has  fallen  in  battle.  I  saw  his  head  and  sur- 
coat  upon  a  Moorish  lance,  and  the  army  was  overthrown  and 
fled." 

At  hearing  these  words,  Roderick  covered  his  face  with  his 

o  •  ' 

hands,  and  for  some  time  sat  in  silence  ;  and  all  his  courtiers 
stood  mute  and  aghast,  and  no  one  dared  to  speak  a  word.     In 


74  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

that  awful  space  of  time  passed  before  his  thoughts  all  his 
errors  and  his  crimes,  and  all  the  evils  that  had  been  predicted 
in  the  necromantic  tower.  His  mind  was  filled  with  horror 
and  confusion,  for  the  hour  of  his  destruction  seemed  at  hand ; 
but  he  subdued  his  agitation  by  his  strong  and  haughty  spirit ; 
and  when  he  uncovered  his  face  no  one  could  read  on  his 
brow  the  trouble  and  agony  of  his  heart.  Still  every  hour 
brought  fresh  tidings  of  disaster.  Messenger  after  messenger 
came  spurring  into  the  city,  distracting  it  with  new  alarms. 
The  infidels,  they  said,  were  strengthening  themselves  in  the 
land ;  host  after  host  were  pouring  in  from  Africa ;  the  sea 
board  of  Andalusia  glittered  with  spears  and  scimitars.  Bands 
of  turbaned  horsemen  had  overrun  the  plains  of  Sidonia,  even 
to  the  banks  of  the  Guadiana.  Fields  were  laid  waste,  towns 
and  cities  plundered,  the  inhabitants  carried  into  captivity,  and 
the  whole  country  lay  in  smoking  desolation. 

Roderick  heard  all  these  tidings  with  an  undaunted  aspect, 
nor  did  he  ever  again  betray  sign  of  consternation ;  but  the 
anxiety  of  his  soul  was  evident  in  his  warlike  preparations. 
He  issued  orders  that  every  noble  and  prelate  of  his  kingdom 
should  put  himself  at  the  head  of  his  retainers  and  take  the 
field,  and  that  every  man  capable  of  bearing  arms  should  hasten 
to  his  standard,  bringing  whatever  horse  and  mule  and  weapon 
he  possessed ;  and  he  appointed  the  plain  of  Cordova  for  the 
place  where  the  army  was  to  assemble.  Throwing  by,  then, 
all  the  trappings  of  his  late  slothful  and  voluptuous  life,  and 
arming  himself  for  warlike  action,  he  departed  from  Toledo 
at  the  head  of  his  guard,  composed  of  the  flower  of  the  youth 
ful  nobility.  His  queen,  Exilona,  accompanied  him,  for  she 
craved  permission  to  remain  in  one  of  the  cities  of  Andalusia, 
that  she  might  be  near  her  lord  in  this  time  of  peril. 


THE  LKGEND  OP  DON  RODERICK.  75 

Among  the  first  who  appeared  to  hail  the  arrival  of  the 
king  at  Cordova,  was  the  Bishop  Oppas,  the  secret  partisan 
of  the  traitor  Julian.  He  brought  with  him  his  two  nephews, 
Evan  and  Siseburto,  the  sons  of  the  late  King  Witiza,  and  a 
great  host  of  vassals  and  retainers,  all  well  armed  and  ap 
pointed  ;  for  they  had  been  furnished  by  Count  Julian  with  a 
part  of  the  arms  sent  by  the  king  to  Africa.  The  bishop  was 
smooth  of  tongue  and  profound  in  his  hypocrisy ;  his  pre 
tended  zeal  and  devotion,  and  the  horror  with  which  he  spoke 
of  the  treachery  of  his  Uinsman,  imposed  upon  the  credulous 
spirit  of  the  king,  and  he  was  readily  admitted  into  his  most 
secret  councils. 

The  alarm  of  the  infidel  invasion  had  spread  throughout  the 
land,  and  roused  the  Gothic  valor  of  the  inhabitants.  On  re 
ceiving  the  orders  of  Roderick,  every  town  and  hamlet,  every 
mountain  and  valley,  had  sent  forth  its  fighting  men,  and  the 
whole  country  was  on  the  march  towards  Andalusia.  In  a 
little  while  there  were  gathered  together,  on  the  plain  of 
Cordova,  near  fifty  thousand  horsemen  and  a  countless  host 
of  foot-soldiers.  The  Gothic  nobles  appeared  in  burnished 
armor,  curiously  inlaid  and  adorned,  with  chains  and  jewels 
of  gold,  and  ornaments  of  precious  stones,  and  silken  scarfs, 
and  surcoats  of  brocade,  or  velvet  richly  embroidered ;  be 
traying  the  luxury  and  ostentation  into  which  they  had  de 
clined  from  the  iron  hardihood  of  their  warlike  sires.  As  to 
the  common  people,  some  had  lances  and  shields  and  swords 
and  cross-bows,  but  the  greater  part  were  unarmed,  or  pro 
vided  merely  with  slings,  and  clubs  studded  with  nails,  and 
with  the  iron  implements  of  husbandry ;  and  many  had  made 
shields  for  themselves  from  the  doors  and  windows  of  their 
habitations.  They  were  a  prodigious  host,  and  appeared,  say 


76  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  5 

the  Arabian  chroniclers,  like  an  agitated  sea ;  but,  though  brave 
in  spirit,  they  possessed  no  knowledge  of  warlike  art,  and  were 
ineffectual  through  lack  of  arms  and  discipline. 

Several  of  the  most  ancient  and  experienced  cavaliers,  be 
holding  the  state  of  the  army,  advised  Don  Roderick  to  await 
the  arrival  of  more  regular  troops,  which  were  stationed  in 
Iberia,  Cantabria,  and  Gallia  Gothica ;  but  this  counsel  was 
strenuously  opposed  by  the  Bishop  Oppas  ;  who  urged  the 
king  to  march  immediately  against  the  infidels.  "As  yet," 
said  he,  "  their  number  is  but  limited ;  but  every  day  new  hosts 
arrive,  like  flocks  of  locusts,  from  Africa.  They  will  augment 
faster  than  we ;  they  are  living,  too,  at  our  expense,  and,  while 
we  pause,  both  armies  are  consuming  the  substance  of  the 
land." 

King  Roderick  listened  to  the  crafty  counsel  of  the  bishop, 
and  determined  to  advance  without  delay.  He  mounted  his 
war-horse  Orelia,  and  rode  among  his  troops  assembled  on 
that  spacious  plain,  and  wherever  he  appeared  he  was  received 
with  acclamations ;  for  nothing  so  arouses  the  spirit  of  the 
soldier  as  to  behold  his  sovereign  in  arms.  He  addressed 
them  in  words  calculated  to  touch  their  hearts  and  animate 
their  courage.  "The  Saracens,"  said  he,  "are  ravaging  our 
land,  and  their  object  is  our  conquest.  Should  they  prevail, 
your  very  existence  as  a  nation  is  at  an  end.  They  will  over 
turn  your  altars,  trample  on  the  cross,  lays  waste  your  cities, 
carry  off  your  wives  and  daughters,  and  doom  yourselves  and 
sons  to  hard  and  cruel  slavery.  No  safety  remains  for  you 
but  in  the  prowess  of  your  arms.  For  my  own  part,  as  I  am 
your  king,  so  will  I  be  your  leader,  and  will  be  the  foremost 
to  encounter  every  toil  and  danger." 

The  soldiery  answered  their  monarch  with  loud  acclamations, 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  77 

and  solemnly  pledged  themselves  to  fight  to  the  last  gasp  in 
defence  of  their  country  and  their  faith.  The  king  then  ar 
ranged  the  order  of  their  march ;  all  those  who  were  armed 
with  cuirasses  and  coats  of  mail  were  placed  in  the  front  and 
rear ;  the  centre  of  the  army  was  composed  of  a  promiscuous 
throng,  without  body-armor  and  but  scantily  provided  with 
weapons. 

When  they  were  about  to  march,  the  king  called  to  him  a 
noble  cavalier  named  Ramiro,  and  delivering  him  the  royal 
standard,  charged  him  to  guard  it  well  for  the  honor  of  Spain ; 
scarcely,  however,  had  the  good  knight  received  it  in  his  hand, 
when  he  fell  dead  from  his  horse,  and  the  staff  of  the  standard 
was  broken  in  twain.  Many  ancient  courtiers  who  were  pres 
ent  looked  upon  this  as  an  evil  omen,  and  counselled  the  king 
not  to  set  forward  on  his  march  that  day  ;  but,  disregarding  all 
auguries  and  portents,  he  ordered  the  royal  banner  to  be  put 
upon  a  lance  and  gave  it  in  charge  of  another  standard-bearer ; 
then  commanding  the  trumpets  to  be  sounded,  he  departed  at 
the  head  of  his  host  to  seek  the  enemy. 

The  field  where  this  great  army  assembled  was  called,  from 
the  solemn  pledge  given  by  the  nobles  and  the  soldiery,  El 
campo  de  la  verdad ;  or,  The  Field  of  Truth,  —  a  name,  says 
the  sage  chronicler  Abulcasim,  which  it  bears  even  to  the 
present  day.* 

*  La  Perdida  de  Espana,  cap.  9.    Bleda,  L.  2,  c.  8. 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

MARCH    OF    THE    GOTHIC  ARMY. ENCAMPMENT   ON  THE  BANKS 

OF     THE     GUADALETE.  MYSTERIOUS     PREDICTIONS     OF     A 

PALMER. CONDUCT    OF    PELISTES     THEREUPON. 

THE  hopes  of  Andalusia  revived  as  this  mighty  host 
stretched  in  lengthening  lines  along  its  fertile  plains ;  from 
morn  until  night  it  continued  to  pour  along,  with  sound  of 
drum  and  trumpet ;  it  was  led  on  by  the  proudest  nobles  and 
bravest  cavaliers  of  the  land,  and,  had  it  possessed  arms  and 
discipline,  might  have  undertaken  the  conquest  of  the  world. 

After  a  few  days'  march,  Don  Roderick  arrived  in  sight  of 
the  Moslem  army,  encamped  on  the  banks  of  the  Guadalete,* 
where  that  beautiful  stream  winds  through  the  fertile  land  of 
Xeres.  The  infidel  host  was  far  inferior  in  number  to  the 
Christians,  but  then  it  was  composed  of  hardy  and  dexterous 
troops,  seasoned  to  war  and  admirably  armed.  The  camp 
shone  gloriously  in  the  setting  sun,  and  resounded  with  the 
clash  of  cymbal,  the  note  of  the  trumpet,  and  the  neighing 
of  fiery  Arabian  steeds.  There  were  swarthy  troops  from 
every  nation  of  the  African  coast,  together  with  legions  from 
Syria  and  Egypt,  while  the  light  Bedouins  were  careering 
about  the  adjacent  plain.  What  grieved  and  incensed  the 
spirits  of  the  Christian  warriors,  however,  was  to  behold,  a 

*  This  name  was  given  to  it  subsequently  by  the  Arabs.  It  signifies  the 
River  of  Death.  Vide  Pedraza,  Hist.  Granad.  p.  3,  c.  1. 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  79 

little  apart  from  the  Moslem  host,  an  encampment  of  Span 
ish  cavaliers,  with  the  banner  of  Count  Julian  waving  above 
their  tents.  They  were  ten  thousand  in  number,  valiant  and 
hardy  men,  the  most  experienced  of  Spanish  soldiery,  most  of 
them  having  served  in  the  African  wars ;  they  were  well 
armed  and  appointed  also,  with  the  weapons  of  which  the 
count  had  beguiled  his  sovereign  ;  and  it  was  a  grievous  sight 
to  behold  such  good  soldiers  arrayed  against  their  country  and 
their  faith. 

The  Christians  pitched  their  tents  about  the  hour  of  vespers, 
at  a  short  league  distant  from  the  enemy,  and  remained  gazing 
with  anxiety  and  awe  upon  this  barbaric  host  that  had  caused 
such  terror  and  desolation  in  the  land ;  for  the  first  sight  of  a 
hostile  encampment  in  a  country  disused  to  war  is  terrible  to 
the  newly  enlisted  soldier.  A  marvellous  occurrence  is  re 
corded  by  the  Arabian  chroniclers  as  having  taken  place  in  the 
Christian  camp ;  but  discreet  Spanish  writers  relate  it  with 
much  modification,  and  consider  it  a  stratagem  of  the  wily 
Bishop  Oppas,  to  sound  the  loyalty  of  the  Christian  cavaliers. 

As  several  leaders  of  the  army  were  seated  with  the  bishop 
in  his  tent,  conversing  on  the  dubious  fortunes  of  the  ap 
proaching  contest,  an  ancient  pilgrim  appeared  at  the  entrance. 
He  was  bowed  down  with  years,  his  snowy  beard  descended  to 
his  girdle,  and  he  supported  his  tottering  steps  with  a  palmer's 
staff.  The  cavaliers  rose  and  received  him  with  great  rev 
erence  as  he  advanced  within  the  tent.  Holding  up  his 
withered  hand,  "  Woe,  woe  to  Spain ! "  exclaimed  he,  "  for  the 
vial  of  the  wrath  of  Heaven  is  about  to  be  poured  out.  Listen, 
warriors,  and  take  warning.  Four  months  since,  having  per 
formed  my  pilgrimage  to  the  sepulchre  of  our  Lord  in  Pales 
tine,  I  was  on  my  return  towards  my  native  land.  Wearied 


80  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

and  wayworn,  I  lay  down  one  night  to  sleep  beneath  a  palm- 
tree,  by  the  side  of  a  fountain,  when  I  was  awakened  by  a 
voice  saying  unto  me,  in  soft  accents,  '  Son  of  sorrow,  why 
sleepest  thou  ? '  I  opened  my  eyes,  and  beheld  one  of  a  fair  and 
beauteous  countenance,  in  shining  apparel  and  with  glorious 
wings,  standing  by  the  fountain  ;  and  I  said,  '  Who  art  thou 
who  callest  upon  me  in  this  deep  hour  of  the  night  ? ' 

" '  Fear  not,'  replied  the  stranger ;  '  I  am  an  angel  from 
heaven,  sent  to  reveal  unto  thee  the  fate  of  thy  country.  Be 
hold,  the  sins  of  Roderick  have  come  up  before  God,  and 
his  anger  is  kindled  against  him,  and  He  has  given  him  up 
to  be  invaded  and  destroyed.  Hasten  then  to  Spain,  and 
seek  the  camp  of  thy  countrymen.  Warn  them  that  such 
only  shall  be  saved  as  shall  abandon  Roderick ;  but  those 
who  adhere  to  him  shall  share  his  punishment,  and  shall  fall 
under  the  sword  of  the  invader.' " 

The  pilgrim  ceased,  and  passed  forth  from  the  tent ;  cer 
tain  of  the  cavaliers  followed  him  to  detain  him,  that  they 
might  converse  further  with  him  about  these  matters,  but  he 
was  nowhere  to  be  found.  The  sentinel  before  the  tent 
said,  "  I  saw  no  one  come  forth,  but  it  was  as  if  a  blast  of  wind 
passed  by  me,  and  there  was  a  rustling  as  of  dry  leaves." 

The  cavaliers  remained  looking  upon  each  other  with  aston 
ishment.  The  Bishop  Oppas  sat  with  his  eyes  fixed  upon  the 
ground,  and  shadowed  by  his  overhanging  brow.  At  length, 
breaking  silence,  in  a  low  and  faltering  voice,  "  Doubtless," 
said  he,  "  this  message  is  from  God ;  and  since  He  has  taken 
compassion  upon  us,  and  given  us  notice  of  his  impending 
judgment,  it  behooves  us  to  hold  grave  council,  and  determine 
how  best  we  may  accomplish  his  will  and  avert  his  displeasure." 

The  chiefs  still  remained  silent,  as  men  confounded.   Among 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  81 

them  was  a  veteran  noble  named  Pelistes.  He  had  distin 
guished  himself  in  the  African  wars;  fighting  side  by  side  with 
Count  Julian  ;  but  the  latter  had  never  dared  to  tamper  with 
his  faith,  for  he  knew  his  stern  integrity.  Pelistes  had  brought 
with  him  to  the  camp  his  only  son,  who  had  never  drawn  a 
sword  except  in  tourney.  When  the  young  man  saw  that  the 
veterans  held  their  peace,  the  blood  mantled  in  his  cheek, 
and,  overcoming  his  modesty,  he  broke  forth  with  a  generous 
warmth :  "  I  know  not,  cavaliers,"  said  he,  "  what  is  passing 
in  your  minds,  but  I  believe  this  pilgrim  to  be  an  envoy  from 
the  devil ;  for  none  else  could  have  given  such  dastard  and 
perfidious  counsel.  For  my  own  part,  I  stand  ready  to  defend 
my  king,  my  country,  and  my  faith  ;  I  know  no  higher  duty 
than  this,  and  if  God  thinks  fit  to  strike  me  dead  in  the  per 
formance  of  it,  his  sovereign  will  be  done !  " 

When  the  young  man  had  risen  to  speak,  his  father  had 
fixed  his  eyes  upon  him  with  a  grave  and  stern  demeanor,  lean 
ing  upon  a  two-handed  sword.  As  soon  as  the  youth  had 
finished,  Pelistes  embraced  him  with  a  father's  fondness. 
"  Thou  hast  spoken  well,  my  son,"  said  he ;  "  if  I  held  my 
peace  at  the  counsel  of  this  losel  pilgrim,  it  was  but  to  hear 
thy  opinion,  and  to  learn  whether  thou  wert  worthy  of  thy 
lineage  and  of  the  training  I  had  given  thee.  Hadst  thou 
counselled  otherwise  than  thou  hast  done,  —  hadst  thou  shown 
thyself  craven  and  disloyal,  —  so  help  me  God,  I  would  have 
struck  off  thy  head  with  this  weapon  which  I  hold  in  my  hand. 
But  thou  hast  counselled  like  a  loyal  and  a  Christian  knight, 
and  I  thank  God  for  having  given  me  a  son  worthy  to  per 
petuate  the  honors  of  my  line.  As  to  this  pilgrim,  be  he  saint 
or  be  he  devil,  I  care  not ;  this  much  I  promise,  that  if  I  am 
to  die  in  defence  of  my  country  and  my  king,  my  life  shall  be 


82  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

a  costly  purchase  to  the  foe.  Let  each  man  make  the  same 
resolve,  and  I  trust  we  shall  yet  prove  the  pilgrim  a  lying 
prophet."  The  words  of  Pelistes  roused  the  spirits  of  many  of 
the  cavaliers ;  others,  however,  remained  full  of  anxious  fore 
boding,  and  when  this  fearful  prophecy  was  rumored  about  the 
camp,  as  it  presently  was  by  the  emissaries  of  the  bishop,  it 
spread  awe  and  dismay  among  the  soldiery. 


THK  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  83 


'    CHAPTER  XV. 

SKIRMISHING     OF     THE    ARMIES. PELISTES    AND     HIS     SON. 

PELISTES    AND    THE    BISHOP. 

ON  the  .following  day  the  two  armies  remained  regarding 
each  other  with  wary  but  menacing  aspect.  About  noontide 
King  Roderick  sent  forth  a  chosen  force  of  five  hundred  horse 
and.  two  hundred  foot,  the  best  armed  of  his  host,  to  skirmish 
with  the  enemy,  that,  by  gaining  some  partial  advantage,  they 
might  raise  the  spirits  of  the  army.  They  were  led  on  by 
Theodomir,  the  same  Gothic  noble  who  had  signalized  him 
self  by  first  opposing  the  invasion  of  the  Moslems. 

The  Christian  squadrons  paraded  with  flying  pennons  in  the 
valley  which  lay  between  the  armies.  The  Arabs  were  not 
slow  in  answering  their  defiance.  A  large  body  of  horsemen 
sallied  forth  to  the  encounter,  together  with  three  hundred  of 
the  followers  of  Count  Julian.  There  was  hot  skirmishing 
about  the  field  and  on  the  banks  of  the  river ;  many  gallant 
feats  were  displayed  on  either  side,  and  many  valiant  warriors 
were  slain.  As  the  night  closed  in,  the  trumpets  from  either 
camp  summoned  the  troops  to  retire  from  the  combat.  In 
this  day's  action  the  Christians  suffered  greatly  in  the  loss  of 
their  distinguished  cavaliers ;  for  it  is  the  noblest  spirits  who 
venture  most,  and  lay  themselves  open  to  danger ;  and  the 
Moslem  soldiers  had  instructions  to  single  out  the  leaders  of 
the  adverse  host.  All  this  is  said  to  have  been  devised  by 


84  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

the  perfidious  Bishop  Oppas,  who  had  secret  communications 
with  the  enemy,  while  he  influenced  the  councils  of  the  king ; 
and  who  trusted  that  by  this  skirmishing  warfare  the  flower 
of  the  Christian  troops  would  be  cut  off,  and  the  rest  disheart 
ened. 

On  the  following  morning  a  larger  force  was  ordered  out  to 
skirmish,  and  such  of  the  soldiery  as  were  unarmed  were 
commanded  to  stand  ready  to  seize  the  horses  and  strip  off 
the  armor  of  the  killed  and  wounded.  Among  the  most  illus 
trious  of  the  warriors  who  fought  that  day  was  Pelistes,  the 
Gothic  noble  who  had  so  sternly  checked  the  tongue  of  the 
Bishop  Oppas.  He  led  to  the  field  a  large  body  of  his  own 
vassals  and  retainers,  and  of  cavaliers  trained  up  in  his  house, 
who  had  followed  him  to  the  wars  in  Africa,  and  who  looked 
up  to  him  more  as  a  father  than  a  chieftain.  Beside  him  was 
his  only  son,  who  now  for  the  first  time  was  fleshing  his  sword 
in  battle.  The  conflict  that  day  was  more  general  and  bloody 
than  the  day  preceding ;  the  slaughter  of  the  Christian  warriors 
was  immense,  from  their  lack  of  defensive  armor ;  and  as 
nothing  could  prevent  the  flower  of  the  Gothic  chivalry  from 
spurring  to  the  combat,  the  field  was  strewed  with  the  bodies 
of  the  youthful  nobles.  None  suffered  more,  however,  than 
the  warriors  of  Pelistes.  Their  leader  himself  was  bold  and 
hardy,  and  prone  to  expose  himself  to  danger ;  but  years  and 
experience  had  moderated  his  early  fire ;  his  son,  however, 
was  eager  to  distinguish  himself  in  this,  his  first  essay,  and 
rushed  with  impetuous  ardor  into  the  hottest  of  the  battle.  In 
vain  his  father  called  to  caution  him ;  he  was  ever  in  the  ad 
vance,  and  seemed  unconscious  of  the  perils  that  surrounded 
him.  The  cavaliers  and  vassals  of  his  father  followed  him 
with  devoted  zeal,  and  many  of  them  paid  for  their  loyalty 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  85 

with  their  lives.  When  the  trumpets  sounded  in  the  evening 
for  retreat,  the  troops  of  Pelistes  were  the  last  to  reach  the 
camp.  They  came  slowly  and  mournfully,  and  much  decreased 
in  number.  Their  veteran  commander  was  seated  on  his  war- 
horse,  but  the  blood  trickled  from  the  greaves  of  his  armor. 
His  valiant  son  was  borne  on  the  shields  of  his  vassals ;  when 
they  laid  him  on  the  earth  near  to  where  the  king  was  stand 
ing,  they  found  that  the  heroic  youth  had  expired  of  his  wounds. 
The  cavaliers  surrounded  the  body  and  gave  utterance  to  their 
grief,  but  the  father  restrained  his  agony,  and  looked  on  with 
the  stern  resignation  of  a  soldier. 

Don  Roderick  surveyed  the  field  of  battle  with  a  rueful  eye, 
for  it  was  covered  with  the  mangled  bodies  of  his  most  illus 
trious  warriors ;  he  saw,  too,  with  anxiety,  that  the  common 
people,  unused  to  war  and  unsustained  by  discipline,  were 
harassed  by  incessant  toils  and  dangers,  and  were  cooling  in 
their  zeal  and  courage. 

The  crafty  Bishop  Oppas  marked  the  internal  trouble  of  the 
king,  and  thought  a  favorable  moment  had  arrived  to  sway 
him  to  his  purpose.  He  called  to  his  mind  the  various  por 
tents  and  prophecies  which  had  forerun  their  present  danger. 
"  Let  not  my  lord  the  king,"  said  he,  "  make  light  of  these  mys 
terious  revelations,  which  appear  to  be  so  disastrously  ful 
filling.  The  hand  of  Heaven  appears  to  be  against  us.  De 
struction  is  impending  over  our  heads.  Our  troops  are  rude 
and  unskilful,  but  slightly  armed,  and  much  cast  down  in 
spirit.  Better  is  it  that  we  should  make  a  treaty  with  the 
enemy,  and  by  granting  part  of  his  demands,  prevent  the  utter 
ruin  of  our  country.  If  such  counsel  be  acceptable  to  my  lord 
the  king,  I  stand  ready  to  depart  upon  an  embassy  to  the 
Moslem  camp." 


86  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

Upon  hearing  these  words,  Pelistes,  who  had  stood  in  mourn 
ful  silence,  regarding  the  dead  body  of  his  son,  burst  forth  with 
honest  indignation.  "  By  this  good  sword,"  said  he,  "  the  man 
who  yields  such  dastard  counsel  deserves  death  from  the  hand 
of  his  countrymen  rather  than  from  the  foe  ;  and,  were  it  not 
for  the  presence  of  the  king,  may  I  forfeit  salvation  if  I  would 
not  strike  him  dead  upon  the  spot." 

The  bishop  turned  an  eye  of  venom  upon  Pelistes.  "  My 
lord,"  said  he,  "  I,  too,  bear  a  weapon,  and  know  how  to  wield 
it.  Were  the  king  not  present  you  would  not  dare  to  menace, 
nor  should  you  advance  one  step  without  my  hastening  to  meet 
you." 

The  king  interposed  between  the  jarring  nobles,  and  rebuked 
the  impetuosity  of  Pelistes,  but  at  the  same  time  rejected  the 
counsel  of  the  bishop.  "  The  event  of  this  conflict,"  said  he, 
"  is  in  the  hand  of  God  ;  but  never  shall  my  sword  return  to 
its  scabbard  while  an  infidel  invader  remains  within  the  land." 

He  then  held  a  council  with  his  captains,  and  it  was  deter 
mined  to  offer  the  enemy  general  battle  on  the  following  day. 
A  herald  was  dispatched  defying  Taric  ben  Zeyad  to  the  con 
test,  and  the  defiance  was  gladly  accepted  by  the  Moslem  chief 
tain.*  Don  Roderick  then  formed  the  plan  of  action,  and 
assigned  to  each  commander  his  several  station,  after  which 
he  dismissed  his  officers,  and  each  one  sought  his  tent,  to  pre 
pare  by  diligence  or  repose  for  the  next  day's  eventful  con 
test. 

*  Bleda,  Cronica. 


THE  LEGEND  OP  DON  RODERICK.  87 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

TRAITOROUS    MESSAGE   OF    COUNT   JULIAN. 

TARIC  BEN  ZEYAD  had  been  surprised  by  the  valor  of  the 
Christian  cavaliers  in  the  recent  battles,  and  at  the  number 
and  apparent  devotion  of  the  troops  which  accompanied  the 
king  to  the  field.  The  confident  defiance  of  Don  Roderick 
increased  his  surprise.  When  the  herald  had  retired,  he 
turned  an  eye  of  suspicion  on  Count  Julian.  "  Thou  hast 
represented  thy  countrymen,"  said  he,  "  as  sunk  in  effeminacy 
and  lost  to  all  generous  impulse  ;  yet  I  find  them  fighting 
with  the  courage  and  the  strength  of  lions.  Thou  hast  rep 
resented  thy  king  as  detested  by  his  subjects  and  surrounded 
by  secret  treason ;  but  I  behold  his  tents  whitening  the  hills 
and  dales,  while  thousands  are  hourly  flocking  to  his  standard. 
Woe  unto  thee  if  thou  hast  dealt  deceitfully  with  us,  or  be 
trayed  us  with  guileful  words." 

Don  Julian  retired  to  his  tent  in  great  trouble  of  mind, 
and  fear  came  upon  him  that  the  Bishop  Oppas  might  play 
him  false ;  for  it  is  the  lot  of  traitors  ever  to  distrust  each 
other.  He  called  to  him  the  same  page  who  had  brought 
him  the  letter  from  Florinda,  revealing  the  story  of  her  dis 
honor. 

"  Thou  knowest,  my  trusty  page,"  said  he,  "  that  I  have 
reared  thee  in  my  household,  and  cherished  thee  above  all 
thy  companions.  If  thou  hast  loyalty  and  affection  for  thy 


88  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

lord,  now  is  the  time  to  serve  him.  Hie  thee  to  the  Christian 
camp,  and  find  thy  way  to  the  tent  of  the  Bishop  Oppas.  If 
any  one  ask  thee  who  thou  art.  tell  them  thou  art  of  the 
household  of  the  bishop,  and  bearer  of  missives  from  Cordova. 
When  thou  art  admitted  to  the  presence  of  the  bishop,  show 
him  this  ring,  and  he  will  commune  with  thee  in  secret. 
Then  tell  him  Count  Julian  greets  him  as  a  brother,  and 
demands  how  the  wrongs  of  his  daughter  Florinda  are  to  be 
redressed.  Mark  well  his  reply,  and  bring  it  word  for  word. 
Have  thy  lips  closed,  but  thine  eyes  and  ears  open ;  and 
observe  everything  of  note  in  the  camp  of  the  king.  So, 
speed  thee  on  thy  errand  —  away,  away  ! " 

The  page  hastened  to  saddle  a  Barbary  steed,  fleet  as  the 
wind,  and  of  a  jet  black  color,  so  as  not  to  be  easily  dis 
cernible  in  the  night.  He  girded  on  a  sword  and  dagger, 
slung  an  Arab  bow  with  a  quiver  of  arrows  at  his  side  and 
a  buckler  at  his  shoulder.  Issuing  out  of  the  camp,  he 
sought  the  banks  of '  the  Guadalete,  and  proceeded  silently 
along  its  stream,  which  reflected  the  distant  fires  of  the 
Christian  camp.  As  he  passed  by  the  place  which  had  been 
the  scene  of  the  recent  conflict,  he  heard  from  time  to  time 
the  groan  of  some  expiring  warrior  who  had  crawled  among 
the  reeds  on  the  margin  of  the  river,  and  sometimes  his 
steed  stepped  cautiously  over  the  mangled  bodies  of  the 
slain.  The  young  page  was  unused  to  the  sights  of  war, 
and  his  heart  beat  quick  within  him.  He  was  hailed  by  the 
sentinels  as  he  approached  the  Christian  camp,  and,  on  giving 
the  reply  taught  him  by  Count  Julian,  was  conducted  to  the 
tent  of  the  Bishop  Oppas. 

The  bishop  had  not  yet  retired  to  his  couch.  When  he 
beheld  the  ring  of  Count  Julian,  and  heard  the  words  of 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  89 

his  message,  he  saw  that  the  page  was  one  in  whom  he  might 
confide.  "  Hasten  back  to  thy  lord,"  said  he,  "  and  tell  him 
to  have  faith  in  me  and  all  shall  go  well.  As  yet  I  have 
kept  my  troops  out  of  the  combat.  They  are  all  fresh,  well 
armed,  and  well  appointed.  The  king  has  confided  to  myself, 
aided  by  the  princes  Evan  and  Siseburto,  the  command  of  a 
wing  of  the  army.  To-morrow,  at  the  hour  of  noon,  when 
both  armies  are  in  the  heat  of  action,  we  will  pass  over  with 
our  forces  to  the  Moslems.  But  I  claim  the  compact  made 
with  Taric  ben  Zeyad,  that  my  nephews  be  placed  in  dominion 
over  Spain,  and  tributary  only  to  the  Caliph  of  Damascus." 
With  this  traitorous  message  the  page  departed.  He  led  his 
black  steed  by  the  bridle,  to  present  less  mark  for  observation, 
as  he  went  stumbling  along  near  the  expiring  fires  of  the 
camp.  On  passing  the  last  outpost,  where  the  guards  were  half 
slumbering  on  their  arms,  he  was  overheard  and  summoned, 
but  leaped  lightly  into  the  saddle  and  put  spurs  to  his  steed. 
An  arrow  whistled  by  his  ear,  and  two  more  stuck  in  the 
target  which  he  had  thrown  upon  his  back.  The  clatter  of  swift 
hoofs  echoed  behind  him,  but  he  had  learnt  of  the  Arabs  to 
fight  and  fly.  Plucking  a  shaft  from  his  quiver,  and  turning 
and  rising  in  the  stirrups  as  his  courser  galloped  at  full  speed, 
he  drew  the  arrow  to  the  head  and  launched  it  at  his  pur 
suer.  The  twang  of  the  bow-string  was  followed  by  the 
crash  of  armor,  and  a  deep  groan,  as  the  horseman  tumbled 
to  the  earth.  The  page  pursued  his  course  without  further 
molestation,  and  arrived  at  the  Moslem  camp  before  the  break 
of  day. 

5* 


90  THE    LEGEND    OF   I»ON   RODERICK. 


CHAPTEE  XVH. 

LAST    DAY    OF    THE   BATTLE. 

A  LIGHT  had  burned  throughout  the  night  in  the  tent 
of  the  king,  and  anxious  thoughts  and  dismal  visions  troubled 
his  repose.  If  he  fell  into  a  slumber,  he  beheld  in  his  dreams 
the  shadowy  phantoms  of  the  necromantic  tower,  or  the  in 
jured  Florinda,  pale  and  dishevelled,  imprecating  the  ven 
geance  of  Heaven  upon  his  head.  In  the  mid-watches  of 
the  night,  when  all  was  silent  except  the  footstep  of  the 
sentinel  pacing  before  his  tent,  the  king  rose  from  his  couch, 
and  walking  forth  looked  thoughtfully  upon  the  martial  scene 
before  him.  The  pale  crescent  of  the  moon  hung  over  the 
Moorish  camp,  and  dimly  lighted  up  the  windings  of  the 
Guadalete.  The  heart  of  the  king  was  heavy  and  oppressed ; 
but  he  felt  only  for  himself,  says  Antonio  Agapida  ;  he  thought 
nothing  of  the  perils  impending  over  the  thousands  of  de 
voted  subjects  in  the  camp  below  him ;  sleeping,  as  it  were, 
on  the  margin  of  their  graves.  The  faint  clatter  of  distant 
hoofs,  as  if  in  rapid  flight,  reached  the  monarch's  ear,  but 
the  horsemen  were  not  to  be  descried.  At  that  very  hour, 
and  along  the  shadowy  banks  of  that  river,  here  and  there 
gleaming  with  the  scanty  moonlight,  passed  the  fugitive  mes 
senger  of  Count  Julian,  with  the  plan  of  the  next  day's 
treason. 

The  day  had  not  yet  dawned  when  the  sleepless  and  im- 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  91 

patient  monarch  summoned  his  attendants  and  arrayed  him 
self  for  the  field.  He  then  sent  for  the  venerable  Bishop 
Urbino,  who  had  accompanied  him  to  the  camp,  and,  laying 
aside  his  regal  crown,  he  knelt  with  head  uncovered,  and 
confessed  his  sins  before  the  holy  man.  After  this  a  solemn 
mass  was  performed  in  the  royal  tent,  and  the  eucharist  ad 
ministered  to  the  monarch.  When  these  ceremonies  were 
concluded,  he  besought  the  archbishop  to  depart  forthwith 
for  Cordova,  there  to  await  the  issue  of  the  battle,  and  to 
be  ready  to  bring  forward  reinforcements  and  supplies.  The 
archbishop  saddled  his  mule  and  departed  just  as  the  faint 
blush  of  morning  began  to  kindle  in  the  east.  Already  the 
camp  resounded  with  the  thrilling  call  of  the  trumpet,  the 
clank  of  armor,  and  the  tramp  and  neigh  of  steeds.  As  the 
archbishop  passed  through  the  camp,  he  looked  with  a  com 
passionate  heart  on  this  vast  multitude,  of  whom  so  many 
were  soon  to  perish.  The  warriors  pressed  to  kiss  his  hand, 
and  many  a  cavalier  full  of  youth  and  fire  received  his  bene 
diction,  who  was  to  lie  stiff  and  cold  before  the  evening. 

When  the  troops  were  marshalled  for  the  field,  Don  Roder 
ick  prepared  to  sally  forth  in  the  state  and  pomp  with  which 
the  Gothic  kings  were  wont  to  go  to  battle.  He  was  arrayed 
in  robes  of  gold  brocade  ;  his  sandals  nvere  embroidered  with 
pearls  and  diamonds ;  he  had  a  sceptre  in  his  hand,  and  he 
wore  a  regal  crown  resplendent  with  inestimable  jewels.  Thus 
gorgeously  apparelled,  he  ascended  a  lofty  chariot  of  ivory,  the 
axle-trees  of  which  were  of  silver,  and  the  wheels  and  pole 
covered  with  plates  of  burnished  gold.  Above  his  head  was  a 
canopy  of  cloth  of  gold  embossed  with  armorial  devices,  and 
studded  with  precious  stones.*  This  sumptuous  chariot  was 

*  Entrand.  Chron.  an.  Chris.  714. 


92  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

drawn  by  milk-white  horses,  with  caparisons  of  crimson  velvet, 
embroidered  with  pearls.  A  thousand  youthful  cavaliers  sur 
rounded  the  car ;  all  of  the  noblest  blood  and  bravest  spirit ; 
all  knighted  by  the  king's  own  hand,  and  sworn  to  defend  him 
to  the  last. 

When  Roderick  issued  forth  in  this  resplendent  state,  says 
an  Arabian  writer,  surrounded  by  his  guards1  in  gilded  armor 
and  waving  plumes  and  scarfs  and  surcoats  of  a  thousand  dyes, 
it  was  as  if  the  sun  were  emerging  in  the  dazzling  chariot  of 
the  day  from  amidst  the  glorious  clouds  of  morning. 

As  the  royal  car  rolled  along  in  front  of  the  squadrons,  the 
soldiers  shouted  with  admiration.  Don  Roderick  waved  his 
sceptre  and  addressed  them  from  his  lofty  throne,  reminding 
them  of  the  horror  and  desolation  which  had  already  been 
spread  through  the  land  by  the  invaders.  He  called  upon 
them  to  summon  up  the  ancient  valor  of  their  race,  and  avenge 
the  blood  of  their  brethren.  "  One  day  of  glorious  fighting," 
said  he,  "  and  this  infidel  horde  will  be  driven  into  the  sea  or 
will  perish  beneath  your  swords.  Forward  bravely  to  the 
fight ;  your  families  are  behind  you  praying  for  your  success ; 
the  invaders  of  your  country  are  before  you  ;  God  is  above  to 
bless  his  holy  cause,  and  your  king  leads  you  to  the  field." 
The  army  shouted  with1  one  accord,  "  Forward  to  the  foe,  and 
death  be  his  portion  who  shuns  the  encounter ! " 

The  rising  sun  began  to  shine  along  the  glistening  waters  of 
the  Guadalete  as  the  Moorish  army,  squadron  after  squadron, 
came  sweeping  down  a  gentle  declivity  to  the  sound  of  martial 
music.  Their  turbans  and  robes,  of  various  dyes  and  fashions, 
gave  a  splendid  appearance  to  their  host ;  as  they  marched,  a 
cloud  of  dust  arose  and  partly  hid  them  from  the  sight,  but 
still  there  would  break  forth  flashes  of  steel  and  gleams  of  bur- 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  93 

nished  gold,  like  rays  of  vivid  lightning ;  while  the  sound  of 
drum  and  trumpet,  and  the  clash  of  Moorish  cymbal,  were  as 
the  warlike  thunder  within  that  stormy  cloud  of  battle. 

As  the  armies  drew  near  each  other,  the  sun  disappeared 
among  gathering  clouds,  and  the  gloom  of  the  day  was  in 
creased  by  the  columns  of  dust  which  rose  from  either  host. 
At  length  the  trumpets  sounded  for  the  encounter.  The  battle 
commenced  with  showers  of  arrows,  stones,  and  javelins.  The 
Christian  foot-soldiers  fought  to  disadvantage,  the  greater  part 
being  destitute  of  helm  or  buckler.  A  battalion  of  light  Ara 
bian  horsemen,  led  by  a  Greek  renegado  named  Maguel  el 
Rumi,  careered  in  front  of  the  Christian  line,  launching  their 
darts,  and  then  wheeling  off  beyond  the  reach  of  the  missiles 
hurled  after  them.  Theodomir  now  brought  up  his  seasoned 
troops  into  the  action,  seconded  by  the  veteran  Pelistes,  and  in 
a  little  while  the  battle  became  furious  and  promiscuous.  It 
was  glorious  to  behold  the  old  Gothic  valor  shining  forth  in 
this  hour  of  fearful  trial.  Wherever  the  Moslems  fell,  the 
Christians  rushed  forward,  seized  upon  their  horses,  and 
stripped  them  of  their  armor  and  their  weapons.  They  fought 
desperately  and  successfully,  for  they  fought  for  their  country 
and  their  faith.  The  battle  raged  for  several  hours  ;  the  field 
was  strewn  with  slain,  and  the  Moors,  overcome  by  the  multi 
tude  and  fury  of  their  foes,  began  to  falter. 

When  Taric  beheld  his  troops  retreating  before  the  enemy, 
he  threw  himself  before  them,  and,  rising  in  his  stirrups,  "  O 
Moslems  !  conquerors  of  Africa  ! "  cried  he,  "  whither  would 
you  fly  ?  The  sea  is  behind  you,  the  enemy  before  ;  you  have 
no  hope  but  in  your  valor  and  the  help  of  God !  Do  as  I  do 
and  the  day  is  ours  !  " 

With  these  words  he  put  spurs  to  his  horse  and  sprung 
among  the  enemy,  striking  to  right  and  left,  cutting  down  and 


94  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

destroying,  while  his  steed,  fierce  as  himself,  trampled  upon 
the  foot-soldiers,  and  tore  them  with  his  teeth.  At  this  mo 
ment  a  mighty  shout  arose  in  various  parts  of  the  field ;  the 
noontide  hour  had  arrived.  The  Bishop  Oppas,  with  the  two 
princes,  who  had  hitherto  kept  their  bands  out  of  the  fight, 
suddenly  went  over  to  the  enemy,  and  turned  their  weapons 
upon  their  astonished  countrymen.  From  that  moment  the 
fortune  of  the  day  was  changed,  and  the  field  of  battle  became 
a  scene  of  wild  confusion  and  bloody  massacre.  The  Chris 
tians  knew  not  whom  to  contend  with,  or  whom  to  trust.  It 
seemed  as  if  madness  had  seized  upon  their  friends  and  kins 
men,  and  that  their  worst  enemies  were  among  themselves. 

The  courage  of  Don  Roderick  rose  with  his  danger.  Throw 
ing  off  the  cumbrous  robes  of  royalty,  and  descending  from  his 
car,  he  sprang  upon  his  steed  Orelia,  grasped  his  lance  and 
buckler,  and  endeavored  to  rally  his  retreating  troops.  He  was 
surrounded  and  assailed  by  a  multitude  of  his  own  traitorous 
subjects,  but  defended  himself  with  wondrous  prowess.  The 
enemy  thickened  around  him ;  his  loyal  band  of  cavaliers  were 
slain,  bravely  fighting  in  his  defence  ;  the  last  that  was  seen  of 
the  king  was  in  the  midst  of  the  enemy,  dealing  death  at  every 
blow. 

A  complete  panic  fell  upon  the  Christians  ;  they  threw  away 
their  arms  and  fled  in  all  directions.  They  were  pursued  with 
dreadful  slaughter  until  the  darkness  of  the  night  rendered  it 
impossible  to  distinguish  friend  from  foe.  Taric  then  called 
off  his  troops  from  the  pursuit,  and  took  possession  of  the  royal 
camp ;  and  the  couch  which  had  been  pressed  so  uneasily  on 
the  preceding  night  by  Don  Roderick,  now  yielded  sound  re 
pose  to  his  conqueror.* 

*  This  battle  is  called  indiscriminately  by  historians  the  battle  of  Guadalete, 
or  of  Xeres,  from  the  neighborhood  of  that  city. 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  95 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE  FIELD  OF  BATTLE  AFTER  THE  DEFEAT.  THE  FATE  OF 

RODERICK. 

ON  the  morning  after  the  battle,  the  Arab  leader,  Taric  ben 
Zeyad,  rode  over  the  bloody  field  of  the  Guadalete,  strewed 
with  the  ruins  of  those  splendid  armies  which  had  so  lately 
passed  like  glorious  pageants  along  the  river  banks.  There 
Moor  and  Christian,  horseman  and  horse,  lay  gashed  with  hid 
eous  wounds  ;  and  the  river,  still  red  with  blood,  was  filled  with 
the  bodies  of  the  slain.  The  gaunt  Arab  was  as  a  wolf  roam 
ing  through  the  fold  he  had  laid  waste.  On  every  side  his  eye 
revelled  on  the  ruin  of  the  country,  on  the  wrecks  of  haughty 
Spain.  There  lay  the  flower  of  her  youthful  chivalry,  mangled 
and  destroyed,  and  the  strength  of  her  yeomanry  prostrated  in 
the  dust.  The  Gothic  noble  lay  confounded  with  his  vassals  ; 
the  peasant  with  the  prince  ;  all  ranks  and  dignities  were  min 
gled  in  one  bloody  massacre. 

When  Taric  had  surveyed  the  field,  he  caused  the  spoils  of 
the  dead  and  the  plunder  of  the  camp  to  be  brought  before 
him.  The  booty  was  immense.  There  were  massy  chains  and 
rare  jewels  of  gold,  pearls  and  precious  stones,  rich  silks  and 
brocades,  and  all  other  luxurious  decorations  in  which  the 
Gothic  nobles  had  indulged  in  the  latter  times  of  their  degen 
eracy.  A  vast  amount  of  treasure  was  likewise  found,  which 
had  been  brought  by  Roderick  for  the  expenses  of  the  war. 


96  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

Taric  then  ordered  that  the  bodies  of  the  Moslem  warriors 
should  be  interred ;  as  for  those  of  the  Christians,  they  were 
gathered  in  heaps,  and  vast  pyres  of  wood  were  formed,  on 
which  they  were  consumed.  The  flames  of  these  pyres  rose 
high  in  the  air,  and  were  seen  afar  off  in  the  night ;  and  when 
the  Christians  beheld  them  from  the  neighboring  hills  they  beat 
their  breasts  and  tore  their  hair,  and  lamented  over  them  as 
over  the  funeral  fires  of  their  country.  The  carnage  of  that 
battle  infected  the  air  for  two  whole  months,  and  bones  were 
seen  lying  in  heaps  upon  the  field  for  more  than  forty  years ; 
nay,  when  ages  had  passed  and  gone,  the  husbandman,  turning 
up  the  soil,  would  still  find  fragments  of  Gothic  cuirasses  and 
helms,  and  Moorish  scimitars,  the  relics  of  that  dreadful  fight. 

For  three  days  the  Arabian  horsemen  pursued  the  flying 
Christians ;  hunting  them  over  the  face  of  the  country  ;  so  that 
but  a  scanty  number  of  that  mighty  host  escaped  to  tell  the 
tale  of  their  disaster. 

Taric  ben  Zeyad  considered  his  victory  incomplete  so  long 
as  the  Gothic  monarch  survived  ;  he  proclaimed  great  rewards, 
therefore,  to  whomsoever  should  bring  Roderick  to  him,  dead 
or  alive.  A  diligent  search  was  accordingly  made  in  every  di 
rection,  but  for  a  long  time  in  vain  ;  at  length  a  soldier  brought 
to  Taric  the  head  of  a  Christian  warrior,  on  which  was  a  cap 
decorated  with  feathers  and  precious  stones.  The  Arab  leader 
received  it  as  the  head  of  the  unfortunate  Roderick,  and  sent 
it,  as  a  trophy  of  his  victory,  to  Muza  ben  Nosier,  who,  in  like 
manner,  transmitted  it  to  the  caliph  at  Damascus.  The  Span 
ish  historians,  however,  have  always  denied  its  identity. 

A  mystery  has  ever  hung,  and  ever  must  continue  to  hang, 
over  the  fate  of  King  Roderick,  in  that  dark  and  doleful  day 
of  Spain.  Whether  he  went  down  amidst  the  storm  of  battle, 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  97 

and  atoned  for  his  sins  and  errors  by  a  patriot  grave,  or  whether 
he  survived  to  repent  of  them  in  hermit  exile,  must  remain 
matter  of  conjecture  and  dispute.  The  learned  Archbishop 
Rodrigo,  who  has  recorded  the  events  of  this  disastrous  field, 
affirms  that  Roderick  fell  beneath  the  vengeful  blade  of  the 
traitor  Julian,  and  thus  expiated  with  his  blood  his  crime 
against  the  hapless  Florinda ;  but  the  archbishop  stands  alone 
in  his  record  of  the  fact.  It  seems  generally  admitted  that 
Orelia,  the  favorite  war-horse  of  Don  Roderick,  was  found  en 
tangled  in  a  marsh  on  the  borders  of  the  Guadalete,  with  the 
sandals  and  mantle  and  royal  insignia  of  the  king  lying  close 
by  him.  The  river  at  this  place  ran  broad  and  deep,  and  was 
encumbered  with  the  dead  bodies  of  warriors  and  steeds ;  it 
has  been  supposed,  therefore,  that  he  perished  in  the  stream  ; 
but  his  body  was  not  found  within  its  waters. 

When  several  years  had  passed  away,  and  men's  minds,  be 
ing  restored  to  some  degree  of  tranquillity,  began  to  occupy 
themselves  about  the  events  of  this  dismal  day,  a  rumor  arose 
that  Roderick  had  escaped  from  the  carnage  on  the  banks  of 
the  Guadalete,  and  was  still  alive.  It  was  said  that  having 
from  a  rising  ground  caught  a  view  of  the  whole  field  of  battle, 
and  seen  that  the  day  was  lost,  and  his  army  flying  in  all  direc 
tions,  he  likewise  sought  his  safety  in  flight.  It  is  added  that 
the  Arab  horsemen,  while  scouring  the  mountains  in  quest  of 
fugitives,  found  a  shepherd  arrayed  in  the  royal  robes,  and 
brought  him  before  the  conqueror,  believing  him  to  be  the 
king  himself.  Count  Julian  soon  dispelled  the  error.  On  be 
ing  questioned,  the  trembling  rustic  declared  that  while  tending 
his  sheep  in  the  folds  of  the  mountains,  there  came  a  cavalier 
on  a  horse  wearied  and  spent  and  ready  to  sink  beneath  the 
spur.  That  the  cavalier  with  an  authoritative  voice  and  mena* 


98  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

cing  air  commanded  him  to  exchange  garments  with  him,  and 
clad  himself  in  his  rude  garb  of  sheepskin,  and  took  his  crook 
and  his  scrip  of  provisions,  and  continued  up  the  rugged  defiles 
of  the  mountains  leading  towards  Castile,  until  he  was  lost  to 


view.* 

This  tradition  was  fondly  cherished  by  many,  who  clung  to 
the  belief  in  the  existence  of  their  monarch  as  their  main  hope 
for  the  redemption  of  Spain.  It  was  even  affirmed  that  he  had 
taken  refuge,  with  many  of  his  host,  in  an  island  of  the  "  Ocean 
sea,"  from  whence  he  might  yet  return  once  more  to  elevate  his 
standard,  and  battle  for  the  recovery  of  his  throne. 

Year  after  year,  however,  elapsed,  and  nothing  was  heard  of 
Don  Roderick ;  yet,  like  Sebastian  of  Portugal  and  Arthur  of 
England,  his  name  .continued  to  be  a  rallying-point  for  popular 
faith,  and  the  mystery  of  his  end  to  give  rise  to  romantic  fables. 
At  length,  when  generation  after  generation  had  sunk  into  the 
grave,  and  near  two  centuries  had  passed  and  gone,  traces  were 
said  to  be  discovered  that  threw  a  light  on  the  final  fortunes  of 
the  unfortunate  Roderick.  At  that  time  Don  Alphonso  the 
Great,  King  of  Leon,  had  wrested  the  city  of  Viseo  in  Lusita- 
nia  from  the  hands  of  the  Moslems.  As  his  soldiers  were 
ranging  about  the  city  and  its  environs,  one  of  them  discovered 
in  a  field,  outside  of  the  walls,  a  small  chapel  or  hermitage, 
with  a  sepulchre  in  front,  on  which  was  inscribed  this  epitaph 
in  Gothic  characters  :  — 

HIC   REQUIESCIT    RUDERICUS, 
ULTIJIUS    REX    GOTHORUM. 

(Here  lies  Roderick, 
.The  last  King  of  the  Goths.) 

*  Bleda,  Cron.  L.  2,  c.  9.    Abulcasim  Tarif  Abentarique,  L.  1,  c.  10. 


THE  LEGEND  OP  DON  RODERICK.  99 

It  has  been  believed  by  many  that  this  was  the  veritable 
tomb  of  the  monarch,  and  that  in  this  hermitage  he  had 
finished  his  days  in  solitary  penance.  The  warrior,  as  he  con 
templated  the  supposed  tomb  of  the  once  haughty  Roderick, 
forgot  all  his  faults  and  errors,  and  shed  a  soldier's  tear  over 
his  memory ;  but  when  his  thoughts  turned  to  Count  Julian, 
his  patriotic  indignation  broke  forth,  and  with  his  dagger  h,e 
inscribed  a  rude  malediction  on  the  stone. 

"  Accursed,"  said  he,  "  be  the  impious  and  headlong  ven 
geance  of  the  traitor  Julian.  He  was  a  murderer  of  his  king, 
a  destroyer  of  his  kindred,  a  betrayer  of  his  country-  May 
his  name  be  bitter  in  every  mouth,  and  his  memory  infamous 
to  all  generations." 

Here  ends  the  legend  of  Don  Roderick. 


ILLUSTRATIONS   OF  THE   FOREGOING  LEGEND. 


THE  TOMB  OF  EODERICK. 

THE  venerable  Sebastiano,  Bishop  of  Salamanca,  declares  that  the 
inscription  on  the  tomb  at  Viseo  in  Portugal  existed  in  his  time,  and 
that  he  had  seen  it.  A  particular  account  of  the  exile  and  hermit  life 
of  Roderick  is  furnished  by  Berganza,  on  the  authority  of  Portuguese 
chronicles. 

Algunos  historiadores  Portugueses  asseguran,  que  el  Rey  Rodrigo, 
perdida  la  battalia,  huyo  a  tierra  de  Merida,  y  se  recogio  en  el  mo- 
nasterio  de  Cauliniano,  en  donde,  arrepentido  de  sus  culpas,  procure 
confessarlas  con  muchas  lagrimas.  Deseando  mas  retiro,  y  escogiendo 
por  companero  a  un  monge  llamado  Roman,  y  elevando  la  Imagen  de 
Nazareth,  que  Cyriaco  monge  de  nacion  griego  avra  traido  de  Jeru- 


100  THE    LEGEND    OF    DON    RODERICK. 

8alem  al  mouasterio  de  Cauliniano,  se  subio  a  un  monte  muy  aspero, 
que  estaba  sobre  el  mar,  junto  al  lugar  de  Pederneyra.  Vivio  Rodrigo 
en  compania  de  el  monge  en  el  hueco  de  una  gruta  por  espacio  de  un 
ano ;  despues  se  passo  d  la  ermita  de  san  Miguel,  que  estaba  cerca  de 
Viseo,  en  donde  murio  y  fue  sepultado. 

Puedese  ver  esta  relacion  en  las  notas  de  Don  Thomas  Tamayo 
sobre  Paulo  deacano.  El  chronicon  de  san  Millan,  que  llega  hasta  el 
ano  883,  deze  que,  hasta  su  tiempo,  si  ignora  el  fin  del  Key  Rodrigo. 
Pocos  afios  despues  el  Rey  Don  Alonzo  el  Magno,  aviendo  ganado  la 
ciudad  de  Viseo,  encontro  en  una  iglesia  el  epitafio  que  en  romance 
dize  —  aqui  yaze  Rodrigo,  ultimo  Rey  de  los  Godos.  —  Berganza,  L. 
1.  c.  13. 


THE   CAVE   OF  HERCULES. 

As  the  story  of  the  necromantic  tower  is  one  of  the  most  famous  as 
well  as  least  credible  points  in  the  history  of  Don  Roderick,  it  may  be 
well  to  fortify  or  buttress  it  by  some  account  of  another  marvel  of  the 
city  of  Toledo.  This  ancient  city,  which  dates  its  existence  almost 
from  the  time  of  the  flood,  claiming  as  its  founder  Tubal,  the  son  of 
Japhet,  and  grandson  of  Noah,*  has  been  the  warrior  hold  of  many 
generations  and  a  strange  diversity  of  races.  It  bears  traces  of  the 
artifices  and  devices  of  its  various  occupants,  and  is  full  of  mysteries 
and  subjects  for  antiquarian  conjecture  and  perplexity.  It  is  built 
upon  a  high  rocky  promontory,  with  the  Tagus  brawling  round  its  base, 
and  is  overlooked  by  cragged  and  precipitous  hills.  These  hills  abound 
with  clefts  and  caverns ;  and  the  promontory  itself,  on  which  the  city 
is  built,  bears  traces  of  vaults  and  subterraneous  habitations,  which  are 
occasionally  discovered  under  the  ruins  of  ancient  houses,  or  beneath 
the  churches  and  convents. 

These  are  supposed  by  some  to  have  been  the  habitations  or  retreats 
of  the  primitive  inhabitants ;  for  it  was  the  custom  of  the  ancients, 
according  to  Pliny,  to  make  caves  in  high  and  rocky  places,  and  live 
*  Salazar,  Hist.  Gran.  Cardinal.  Prologo,  Vol.  I.  plan  1. 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  101 

in  them  through  fear  of  floods  ;  and  such  a  precaution,  says  the  worthy 
Don  Pedro  de  Roxas,  in  his  history  of  Toledo,  was  natural  enough 
among  the  first  Toledans,  seeing  that  they  founded  their  city  shortly 
after  the  deluge,  while  the  memory  of  it  was  still  fresh  in  their  minds. 

Some  have  supposed  these  secret  caves  and  vaults  to  have  been 
places  of  concealment  of  the  inhabitants  and  their  treasure,  during 
times  of  war  and  violence  ;  or  rude  temples  for  the  performance  of  re 
ligious  ceremonies  in  times  of  persecution.  There  are  not  wanting 
other,  and  grave  writers,  who  give  them  a  still  darker  purpose.  In 
these  caves,  say  they,  were  taught  the  diabolical  mysteries  of  magic  ; 
and  here  were  performed  those  infernal  ceremonies  and  incantations 
horrible  in  the  eyes  of  God  and  man.  "  History,"  says  the  worthy  Don 
Pedro  de  Roxas,  "  is  full  of  accounts  that  the  magi  taught  and  per 
formed  their  magic  and  their  superstitious  rites  in  profound  caves  and 
secret  places ;  because  as  this  art  of  the  devil  was  prohibited  from  the 
very  origin  of  Christianity,  they  always  sought  for  hidden  places  in 
which  to  practise  it."  In  the  time  of  the  Moors  this  art,  we  are  told, 
was  publicly  taught  at  their  universities,  the  same  as  astronomy,  phi 
losophy,  and  mathematics,  and  at  no  place  was  it  cultivated  with  more 
success  than  at  Toledo.  Hence  this  city  has  ever  been  darkly  re 
nowned  for  mystic  science  ;  insomuch  that  the  magic  art  was  called  by 
the  French,  and  by  other  nations,  the  Arte  Toledana. 

Of  all  the  marvels,  however,  of  this  ancient,  picturesque,  romantic, 
and  necromantic  city,  none  in  modern  times  surpass  the  Cave  of  Her 
cules,  if  we  may  take  the  account  of  Don  Pedro  de  Roxas  for  au 
thentic.  The  entrance  to  this  cave  is  within  the  church  of  San  Gines, 
situated  in  nearly  the  highest  part  of  the  city.  The  portal  is  secured 
by  massy  doors,  opening  within  the  walls  of  the  church,  but  which 
are  kept  rigorously  closed.  The  cavern  extends  under  the  city  and 
beneath  the  bed  of  the  Tagus  to  the  distance  of  three  leagues  beyond. 
It  is,  in  some  places,  of  rare  architecture,  built  of  small  stones,  curi 
ously  wrought,  and  supported  by  columns  and  arches. 

In  the  year  1546  an  account  of  this  cavern  was  given  to  the  Arch 
bishop  and  Cardinal  Don  Juan  Martinez  Siliceo,  who,  desirous  of  ex- 


102  THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK. 

amining  it,  ordered  the  entrance  to  be  cleaned.  A  number  of  persons, 
furnished  with  provisions,  lanterns,  and  cords,  then  went  in,  and  hav 
ing  proceeded  about  half  a  league,  came  to  a  place  where  there  was  a 
kind  of  chapel  or  temple,  having  a  table  or  altar,  with  several  statues 
of  bronze  in  niches  or  on  pedestals. 

White  they  were  regarding  this  mysterious  scene  of  ancient  worship 
or  incantation,  one  of  the  statues  fell,  with  a  noise  that  echoed  through 
the  cavern,  and  smote  the  hearts  of  the  adventurers  with  terror.  Re 
covering  from  their  alarm  they  proceeded  onward,  but  were  soon  again 
dismayed  by  a  roaring  and  rushing  sound  that  increased  as  they  ad 
vanced.  It  was  made  by  a  furious  and  turbulent  stream,  the  dark 
waters  of  which  were  too  deep  and  broad  and  rapid  to  be  crossed. 
By  this  time  their  hearts  were  so  chilled  with  awe,  and  their  thoughts 
so  bewildered,  that  they  could  not  seek  any  other  passage  by  which 
they  might  advance ;  so  they  turned  back  and  hastened  out  of  the 
cave.  It  was  nightfall  when  they  sallied  forth,  and  they  were  so 
much  affected  by  the  terror  they  had  undergone,  and  by  the  cold  and 
damp  air  of  the  cavern,  to  which  they  were  the  more  sensible  from  its 
being  in  the  summer,  that  all  of  them  fell  sick  and  several  of  them 
died.  Whether  the  archbishop  was  encouraged  to  pursue  his  research 
and  gratify  his  curiosity,  the  history  does  not  mention. 

Alonzo  Telles  de  Meneses,  in  his  history  of  the  world,  records  that 
not  long  before  his  time  a  boy  of  Toledo,  being  threatened  with  pun 
ishment  by  his  master,  fled  and  took  refuge  in  this  cave.  Fancying 
his  pursuer  at  his  heels,  he  took  no  heed  of  the  obscurity  or  coldness 
of  the  cave,  but  kept  groping  and  blundering  forward,  until  he  came 
forth  at  three  leagues'  distance  from  the  city. 

Another  and  very  popular  story  of  this  cave,  current  among  the 
common  people,  was,  that  in  its  remote  recesses  lay  concealed  a  great 
treasure  of  gold,  left  there  by  the  Romans.  Whoever  would  reach 
this  precious  hoard  must  pass  through  several  caves  or  grottos ;  each 
having  its  particular  terror,  and  all  under  the  guardianship  of  a  fero 
cious  dog,  who  has  the  key  of  all  the  gates,  and  watches  day  and  night. 
At  the  approach  of  any  one,  he  shows  his  teeth,  and  makes  a  hideous 


THE  LEGEND  OF  DON  RODERICK.  103 

growling ;  but  no  adventurer  after  wealth  has  had  courage  to  brave  a 
contest,  with  this  terrific  cerberus. 

The  most  intrepid  candidate  on  record  was  a  poor  man  who  had 
lost  his  all,  and  had  those  grand  incentives  to  desperate  enterprise,  a 
wife  and  a  large  family  of  children.  Hearing  the  story  of  this  cave, 
he  determined  to  venture  alone  in  search  of  the  treasure.  He  accord 
ingly  entered,  and  wandered  many  hours,  bewildered,  about  the  cave. 
Often  would  he  have  returned,  but  the  thbughts  of  his  wife  and  chil 
dren  urged  him  on.  At  length  he  arrived  near  to  the  place  where  he 
supposed  the  treasure  lay  hidden  ;  but  here,  to  his  dismay,  he  beheld 
the  floor  of  the  cavern  strewn  with  human  bones ;  doubtless  the  re 
mains  of  adventurers  like  himself,  who  had  been  torn  to  pieces. 

Losing  all  courage,  he  now  turned  and  sought  his  way  out  of  the 
cave.  Horrors  thickened  upon  him  as  he  fled.  He  beheld  direful 
phantoms  glaring  and  gibbering  around  him,  and  heard  the  sound  of 
pursuit  in  the  echoes  of  his  footsteps.  He  reached  his  home  over 
come  with  affright ;  several  hours  elapsed  before  he  could  recover 
speech  to  tell  his  story,  and  he  died  on  the  following  day. 

The  judicious  Don  Pedro  de  Roxas  holds  the  account  of  the  buried 
treasure  for  fabulous,  but  the  adventure  of  this  unlucky  man  for  very 
possible,  —  being  led  on  by  avarice,  or  rather  the  hope  of  retrieving  a 
desperate  fortune.  He,  moreover,  pronounces  his  dying  shortly  after 
coming  forth  as  very  probable ;  because  the  darkness  of  the  cave,  its 
coldness,  the  fright  at  finding  the  bones,  the  dread  of  meeting  the 
imaginary  dog,  all  joining  to  operate  upon  a  man  who  was  past  the 
prime  of  his  days,  and  enfeebled  by  poverty  and  scanty  food,  might 
easily  cause  his  death. 

Many  have  considered  this  cave  as  intended  originally  for  a  sally 
or  retreat  from  the  city  in  case  it  should  be  taken  ;  an  opinion  ren 
dered  probable,  it  is  thought,  by  its  grandeur  and  great  extent. 

The  learned  Salazar  de  Mendoza,  however,  in  his  history  of  the 
grand  cardinal  of  Spain,  affirms  it  as  an  established  fact,  that  it  was 
first  wrought  out  of  the  rock  by  Tubal,  the  son  of  Japhet,  and  grand 
son  of  Noah,  and  afterwards  repaired  and  greatly  augmented  by  Her 
cules  the  Egyptian,  who  made  it  his  habitation  after  he  had  erected 


104  THE    LEGEND    OF    DON    RODERICK. 

his  pillars  at  the  straits  of  Gibraltar.  Here,  too,  it  is  said,  he  read 
magic  to  his  followers,  and  taught  them  those  supernatural  arts  by 
which  he  accomplished  his  vast  achievements.  Others  think  that  it 
was  a  temple  dedicated  to  Hercules,  —  as  was  the  case,  according  to 
Pomponius  Mela,  with  the  great  cave  in  the  rock  of  Gibraltar ;  cer 
tain  it  is,  that  it  has  always  borne  the  name  of  "  The  Cave  of  Her 
cules." 

There  are  not  wanting  some  who  have  insinuated  that  it  was  a 
work  dating  from  the  time  of  the  Romans,  and  intended  as  a  cloaca 
or  sewer  of  the  city  ;  but  such  a  grovelling  insinuation  will  be  treated 
with  proper  scorn  by  the  reader,  after  the  nobler  purposes  to  which 
he  has  heard  this  marvellous  cavern  consecrated. 

From  all  the  circumstances  here  adduced  from  learned  and  rev 
erend  authors,  it  will  be  perceived  that  Toledo  is  a  city  fruitful  of 
marvels,  and  that  the  necromantic  tower  of  Hercules  has  more  solid 
foundation  than  most  edifices  of  similar  import  in  ancient  history. 

The  writer  of  these  pages  will  venture  to  add  the  result  of  his  per 
sonal  researches  respecting  the  far-famed  cavern  in  question.  Ram 
bling  about  Toledo  in  the  year  1826,  in  company  with  a  small  knot  of 
antiquity  hunters,  among  whom  was  an  eminent  British  painter,* 
and  an  English  nobleman,!  who  has  since  distinguished  himself  in 
Spanish  historical  research,  we  directed  our  steps  to  the  church  of 
San  Gines,  and  inquired  for  the  portal  of  the  secret  cavern.  The 
sacristan  was  a  voluble  and  communicative  man,  and  one  not  likely 
to  be  niggard  of  his  tongue  about  anything  he  knew,  or  slow  to  boast 
of  any  marvel  pertaining  to  his  church  ;  but  he  professed  utter  igno 
rance  of  the  existence  of  any  such  portal.  He  remembered  to  have 
heard,  however,  that  immediately  under  the  entrance  to  the  church 
there  was  an  arch  of  mason  work,  apparently  the  upper  part  of  some 
subterranean  portal ;  but  that  all  had  been  covered  up  and  a  pave 
ment  laid  down  thereon ;  so  that  whether  it  led  to  the  magic  cave 
or  the  necromantic  tower  remains  a  mystery,  and  so  must  remain 
until  some  monarch  or  archbishop  shall  again  have  courage  and  au 
thority  to  break  the  spell. 

*  Mr.  D.  W— kie.  \  Lord  Mah— n. 


LEGEND 


SUBJUGATION  OF  SPAIN. 


VOL.  I.  6 


LEGEND 


SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN.* 


CHAPTER  I. 

CONSTERNATION   OF    SPAIN. — CONDUCT    OF     THE    CONQUERORS. 
MISSIVES    BETWEEN   TARIC    AND    MUZA. 

THE  overthrow  of  King  Roderick  and  his  army  on  the 
banks  of  the  Guadalete,  threw  open  all  southern  Spain  to 
the  inroads  of  the  Moslems.  The  whole  country  fled  before 
them ;  villages  and  hamlets  were  hastily  abandoned ;  the 
inhabitants  placed  their  aged  and  infirm,  their  wives  and 
children,  and  their  most  precious  effects,  on  mules  and  other 
beasts  of  burden,  and,  driving  before  them  their  flocks  and 
herds,  made  for  distant  parts  of  the  land ;  for  the  fastnesses 
of  the  mountains,  and  for  such  of  the  cities  as  yet  possessed 
walls  and  bulwarks.  Many  gave  out,  faint  and  weary,  by 
the  way,  and  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy ;  others,  at 
the  distant  sight  of  a  turban  or  a  Moslem  standard,  or  on 

*  In  this  legend  most  of  the  facts  respecting  the  Arab  inroads  into  Spain 
are  on  the  authority  of  Arabian  writers;  who  had  the  most  accurate  means 
of  information.  Those  relative  to  the  Spaniards  are  chiefly  from  old  Spanish 
chronicles.  It  is  to  be  remarked  that  the  Arab  accounts  have  most  the  air 
of  verity,  and  the  events  as  they  relate  them  are  in  the  ordinary  course  of 
common  life.  The  Spanish  accounts,  on  the  contrary,  are  full  of  the  mar 
vellous  ;  for  there  were  no  greater  romancers  than  the  monkish  chroniclers. 


108  LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OP    SPAIN. 

hearing  the  clangor  of  a  trumpet,  abandoned  their  flocks 
and  herds  and  hastened  their  flight  with  their  families.  If 
their  pursuers  gained  upon  them,  they  threw  by  their  house 
hold  goods  and  whatever  was  of  burden,  and  thought  them 
selves  fortunate  to  escape,  naked  and  destitute,  to  a  place 
of  refuge.  Thus  the  roads  were  covered  with  scattered  flocks 
and  herds,  and  with  spoil  of  all  kind. 

The  Arabs,  however,  were  not  guilty  of  wanton  cruelty 
or  ravage ;  on  the  contrary,  they  conducted  themselves  with 
a  moderation  but  seldom  witnessed  in  more  civilized  con 
querors.  Taric  el  Tuerto,  though  a  thorough  man  of  the 
sword,  and  one  whose  whole  thoughts  were  warlike,  yet  evinced 
wonderful  judgment  and  discretion.  He  checked  the  pred 
atory  habits  of  his  troops  with  a  rigorous  hand.  They  were 
forbidden,  under  pain  of  severe  punishment,  to  molest  any 
peaceable  and  unfortified  towns,  or  any  unarmed  and  unre 
sisting  people,  who  remained  quiet  in  their  homes.  No  spoil 
was  permitted  to  be  made  excepting  in  fields  of  battle,  in 
camps  of  routed  foes,  or  in  cities  taken  by  the  sword. 

Taric  had  little  need  to  exercise  his  severity;  his  orders 
were  obeyed  through  love,  rather  than  fear,  for  he  was  the 
idol  of  his  soldiery.  They  admired  his  restless  and  daring 
spirit,  which  nothing  could  dismay.  His  gaunt  and  sinewy 
form,  his  fiery  eye,  his  visage  seamed  with  scars,  were  suited 
to  the  hardihood  of  his  deeds;  and  when  mounted  on  his 
foaming  steed,  careering  the  field  of  battle  with  quivering 
lance  or  flashing  scimitar,  his  Arabs  would  greet  him  with 
shouts  of  enthusiasm.  But  what  endeared  him  to  them  more 
than  all  was  his  soldier-like  contempt  of  gain.  Conquest  was 
his  only  passion  ;  glory  the  only  reward  he  coveted.  As  to 
the  spoil  of  the  conquered,  he  shared  it  freely  among  his  fol- 


LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN.  109 

lowers,  and  squandered  his  own  portion  with  open-handed 
generosity. 

While  Taric  was  pushing  his  triumphant  course  through 
Andalusia,  tidings  of  his  stupendous  victory  on  the  banks 
of  the  Guadalete  were  carried  to  Muza  ben  Nosier.  Mes 
senger  after  messenger  arrived,  vying  who  should  most  extol 
the  achievements  of  the  conqueror  and  the  grandeur  of  the 
conquest.  "  Taric,"  said  they,  "  has  overthrown  the  whole 
force  of  the  unbelievers  in  one  mighty  battle.  Their  king  is 
slain ;  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  of  their  warriors  are 
destroyed  ;  the  whole  land  lies  at  our  mercy ;  and  city  after 
city  is  surrendering  to  the  victorious  arms  of  Taric." 

The  heart  of  Muza  ben  Nosier  sickened  at  these  tidings, 
and,  instead  of  rejoicing  at  the  success  of  the  cause  of  Islam, 
he  trembled  with  jealous  fear  lest  the  triumphs  of  Taric  in 
Spain  should  eclipse  his  own  victories  in  Africa.  He  dis 
patched  missives  to  the  Caliph  Waled  Almanzor,  informing 
him  of  these  new  conquests,  but  taking  the  whole  glory  to 
himself,  and  making  no  mention  of  the  services  of  Taric; 
or  at  least,  only  mentioning  him  incidentally  as  a  subordinate 
commander.  "The  battles,"  said  he,  "have  been  terrible  as 
the  day  of  judgment ;  but  by  the  aid  of  Allah  we  have  gained 
the  victory." 

He  then  prepared  in  all  haste  to  cross  over  into  Spain  and 
assume  the  command  of  the  conquering  army ;  and  he  wrote  a 
letter  in  advance  to  interrupt  Taric  in  the  midst  of  his  career. 
"  Wherever  this  letter  may  find  thee,"  said  he,  "  I  charge 
thee  halt  with  thy  army  and  await  my  coming.  Thy  force 
is  inadequate  to  the  subjugation  of  the  land,  and  by  rashly 
venturing,  thou  mayst  lose  everything.  I  will  be  with  thee 
speedily,  with  a  reinforcement  of  troops  competent  to  so 
great  an  enterprise." 


110  LEGEND    OF   THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN. 

The  letter  overtook  the  veteran  Taric  while  in  the  full  glow 
of  triumphant  success,  having  overrun  some  of  the  richest 
part  of  Andalusia,  and  just  received  the  surrender  of  the 
city  of  Ecija.  As  he  read  the  letter  the  blood  mantled  in 
his  sunburnt  cheek  and  fire  kindled  in  his  eye,  for  he  pene 
trated  the  motives  of  Muza.  He  suppressed  his  wrath,  how 
ever,  and  turning  with  a  bitter  expression  of  forced  composure 
to  his  captains,  "  Unsaddle  your  steeds,"  said  he,  "  and  plant 
your  lances  in  the  earth ;  set  up  your  tents  and  take  your 
repose ;  for  we  must  await  the  coming  of  the  Wali  with  a 
mighty  force  to  assist  us  in  our  conquest." 

The  Arab  warriors  broke  forth  with  loud  murmurs  at  these 
words.  "What  need  have  we  of  aid,"  cried  they,  "when 
the  whole  country  is  flying  before  us ;  and  what  better  com 
mander  can  we  have  than  Taric  to  lead  us  on  to  victory  ? " 

Count  Julian,  also,  who  was  present,  now  hastened  to  give 
his  traitorous  counsel. 

"  Why  pause,"  cried  he,  "  at  this  precious  moment  ?  The 
great  army  of  the  Goths  is  vanquished,  and  their  nobles  are 
slaughtered  or  dispersed.  Follow  up  your  blow  before  the 
land  can  recover  from  its  panic.  Overrun  the  provinces, 
seize  upon  the  cities,  make  yourself  master  of  the  capital, 
and  your  conquest  is  complete."  * 

The  advice  of  Julian  was  applauded  by  all  the  Arab  chief 
tains,  who  were  impatient  of  any  interruption  in  their  career 
of  conquest.  Taric  was  easily  persuaded  to  what  was  the 
wish  of  his  heart.  Disregarding  the  letter  of  Muza,  there 
fore,  he  prepared  to  pursue  his  victories.  For  this  purpose 
he  ordered  a  review  of  his  troops  on  the  plain  of  Ecija. 
Some  were  mounted  on  steeds  which  they  had  brought  from 
*  Conde,  p.  1,  c.  10. 


LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN.  Ill 

Africa ;  the  rest  he  supplied  with  horses  taken  from  the 
Christians.  He  repeated  his  general  orders,  that  they  should 
inflict  no  wanton  injury,  nor  plunder  any  place  that  offered 
no  resistance.  They  were  forbidden,  also,  to  encumber  them 
selves  with  booty,  or  even  with  provisions  ;  but  were  to 
scour  the  country  with  all  speed,  and  seize  upon  all  its  for 
tresses  and  strongholds. 

He  then  divided  his  host  into  three  several  armies.  One 
he  placed  under  the  command  of  the  Greek  renegado,  Ma- 
guel  el  Rumi,  a  man  of  desperate  courage;  and  sent  it 
against  the  ancient  city  of  Cordova.  Another  was  sent 
against  the  city  of  Malaga,  and  was  led  by  Zayd  ben  Kesadi, 
aided  by  the  Bishop  Oppas.  The  third  was  led  by  Taric 
himself,  and  with  this  he  determined  to  make  a  wide  sweep 
through  the  kingdom.* 

*  Gronica  de  Espana,  de  Alonzo  el  Sabio.    P.  3,  c.  1. 


112       LEGEND  OF  THE  SUBJUGATION  OF  SPAIN. 


CHAPTER  II. 

CAPTURE    OF    GRANADA.  —  SUBJUGATION    OF    THE   ALPUXARRA 
MOUNTAINS. 

THE  terror  of  the  arms  of  Taric  ben  Zeyad  went  before 
him ;  and,  at  the  same  time,  the  report  of  his  lenity  to  those 
who  submitted  without  resistance.  Wherever  he  appeared  the 
towns,  for  the  most  part,  sent  forth  some  of  their  principal  in 
habitants  to  proffer  a  surrender ;  for  they  were  destitute  of 
fortifications,  and  their  fighting  men  had  perished  in  battle. 
They  were  all  received  into  allegiance  to  the  caliph,  and  were 
protected  from  pillage  or  molestation. 

After  marching  some  distance  through  the  country,  he  en 
tered  one  day  a  vast  and  beautiful  plain,  interspersed  with 
villages,  adorned  with  groves  and  gardens,  watered  by  winding 
rivers,  and  surrounded  by  lofty  mountains.  It  was  the  famous 
vega,  or  plain  of  Granada,  destined  to  be  for  ages  the  favorite 
abode  of  the  Moslems.  When  the  Arab  conquerors  beheld 
this  delicious  vega,  they  were  lost  in  admiration  ;  for  it  seemed 
as  if  the  Prophet  had  given  them  a  paradise  on  earth,  as  a  re 
ward  for  their  services  in  his  cause. 

Taric  approached  the  city  of  Granada,  which  had  a  formi 
dable  aspect,  seated  on  lofty  hills  and  fortified  with  Gothic 
walls  and  towers,  and  with  the  red  castle  or  citadel,  built  in 
times  of  old  by  the  Phoenicians  or  the  Romans.  As  the  Arab 
chieftain  eyed  the  place,  he  was  pleased  with  its  stern  warrior 


LEGEND    OF   THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN.  113 

look,  contrasting  with  the  smiling  beauty  of  its  vega,  and  the 
freshness  and  voluptuous  abundance  of  its  hills  and  valleys. 
He  pitched  his  tents  before  its  walls,  and  made  preparations  to 
attack  it  with  all  his  force. 

The  city,  however,  bore  but  the  semblance  of  power.  The 
flower  of  its  youth  had  perished  in  the  battle  of  the  Gua- 
dalete  ;  many  of  the  principal  inhabitants  had  fled  to  the 
mountains,  and  few  remained  in  the  city  excepting  old  men, 
women,  and  children,  and  a  number  of  Jews,  which  last  were 
well  disposed  to  take  part  with  the  conquerors.  The  city, 
therefore,  readily  capitulated,  and  was  received  into  vassalage 
on  favorable  terms.  The  inhabitants  were  to  retain  their 
property,  their  laws,  and  their  religion;  their  churches  and 
priests  were  to  be  respected ;  and  no  other  tribute  was  re 
quired  of  them  than  such  as  they  had  been  accustomed  to 
pay  to  their  Gothic  kings. 

On  taking  possession  of  Granada,  Taric  garrisoned  the 
towers  and  castles,  and  left  as  alcayde  or  governor  a  chosen 
warrior  named  Betiz  Aben  Habuz,  a  native  of  Arabia  Felix, 
who  had  distinguished  himself  by  his  valor  and  abilities. 
This  alcayde  subsequently  made  himself  king  of  Granada, 
and  built  a  palace  on  one  of  its  hills  ;  the  remains  of  which  may 
be  seen  at  the  present  day.* 

*  The  house  shown  as  the  ancient  residence  of  Aben  Habuz  is  called  la  Casa 
del  Gallo,  or  the  house  of  the  weathercock ;  so  named,  says  Pedraza,  in  his  his 
tory  of  Granada,  from  a  bronze  figure  of  an  Arab  horseman,  armed  with  lance 
and  buckler,  which  once  surmounted  it,  and  which  varied  with  every  wind.  On 
this  warlike  weathercock  was  inscribed,  in  Arabic  characters,  — 

Dice  el  sabio  Aben  Habuz 
Que  asi  se  deflende  el  Andaluz. 

(In  this  way,  says  Aben  Habuz  the  Wise, 
The  Andalusian  his  foe  defies.) 

The  Casa  del  Gallo,  even  until  within  twenty  years,  possessed  two  great  halls 
6* 


114  LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN. 

Even  the  delights  of  Granada  had  no  power  to  detain  the 
active  and  ardent  Taric.  To  the  east  of  the  city  he  beheld 
a  lofty  chain  of  mountains,  towering  to  the  sky,  and  crowned 
with  shining  snow.  These  were  the  "  Mountains  of  the  Sun 
and  Air;"  and  the  perpetual  snows  on  their  summits  gave 
birth  to  streams  that  fertilized  the  plains.  In  their  bosoms, 
shut  up  among  cliffs  and  precipices,  were  many  small  valleys 
of  great  beauty  and  abundance.  The  inhabitants  were  a  bold 
and  hardy  race,  who  looked  upon  their  mountains  as  everlasting 
fortresses  that  could  never  be  taken.  The  inhabitants  of  the 
surrounding  country  had  fled  to  these  natural  fastnesses  for 
refuge,  and  driven  thither  their  flocks  and  herds. 

Taric  felt  that  the  dominion  he  had  acquired  of  the  plains 
would  be  insecure  until  he  had  penetrated  and  subdued  these 
haughty  mountains.  Leaving  Aben  Habuz,  therefore,  in  com 
mand  of  Granada,  he  marched  with  his  army  across  the  vega, 
and  entered  the  folds  of  the  Sierra,  which  stretch  towards  the 
south.  The  inhabitants  fled  with  affright  on  hearing  the  Moor 
ish  trumpets,  or  beholding  the  approach  of  the  turbaned 
horsemen,  and  plunged  deeper  into  the  recesses  of  their  moun 
tains.  As  the  army  advanced,  the  roads  became  more  and 
more  rugged  and  difficult ;  sometimes  climbing  great  rocky 
heights,  and  at  other  times  descending  abruptly  into  deep 
ravines,  the  beds  of  winter  torrents.  The  mountains  were 
strangely  wild  and  sterile  ;  broken  into  cliffs  and  precipices  of 
variegated  marble.  At  their  feet  were  little  valleys  enamelled 
with  groves  and  gardens,  interlaced  with  silver  streams,  and 
studded  with  villages  and  hamlets,  —  but  all  deserted  by  their 

beautifully  decorated  with  morisco  reliefs.  It  then  caught  fire  and  was  so 
damaged  as  to  require  to  be  nearly  rebuilt.  It  is  now  a  manufactory  of  coarse 
canvas,  and  has  nothing  of  the  Moorish  character  remaining.  It  commands  a 
beautiful  view  of  the  city  and  the  vega. 


LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN.  115 

inhabitants.  No  one  appeared  to  dispute  the  inroad  of  the 
Moslems,  who  continued  their  march  with  increasing  confi 
dence,  their  pennons  fluttering  from  "rock  and  cliff,  and  the 
valleys  echoing  to  the  din  of  trumpet,  drum,  and  cymbal.  At 
length  they  came  to  a  defile  where  the  mountains  seemed  to 
have  been  rent  asunder  to  make  way  for  a  foaming  torrent. 
The  narrow  and  broken  road  wound  along  the  dizzy  edge  of 
precipices,  until  it  came  t6  where  a  bridge  was  thrown  across 
the  chasm.  It  was  a  fearful  and  gloomy  pass  ;  great  beetling 
cliffs  overhung  the  road,  and  the  torrent  roared  below.  This 
awful  defile  has  ever  been  famous  in  the  warlike  history  of  those 
mountains,  by  the  name,  in  former  times,  of  the  Barranco  de 
Tocos,  and  at  present  of  the  bridge  of  Tablete.  The  Saracen 
army  entered  fearlessly  into  the  pass;  a  part  had  already 
crossed  the  bridge,  and  was  slowly  toiling  up  the  rugged  road 
on  the  opposite  side,  when  great  shouts  arose,  and  every  cliff 
appeared  suddenly  peopled  with  furious  foes.  In  an  instant 
a  deluge  of  missiles  of  every  sort  was  rained  upon  the  aston 
ished  Moslems.  Darts,  arrows,  javelins,  and  stones,  came 
whistling  down,  singling  out  the  most  conspicuous,  cavaliers ; 
and  at  times  great  masses  of  rock,  bounding  and  thundering 
along  the  mountain  side,  crushed  whole  ranks  at  once,  or 
hurled  horses  and  riders  over  the  edge  of  the  precipices. 

It  was  in  vain  to  attempt  to  brave  this  mountain  warfare. 
The  enemy  were  beyond  the  reach  of  missiles,  and  safe  from 
pursuit ;  and  the  horses  of  the  Arabs  were  here  an  incum- 
brance  rather  than  an  aid.  The  trumpets  sounded  a  retreat, 
and  the  army  retired  in  tumult  and  confusion,  harassed  by  the 
enemy  until  extricated  from  the  defile.  Taric,  who  had  beheld 
cities  and  castles  surrendering  without  a  blow,  was  enraged  at 
being  braved  by  a  mere  horde  of  mountain  boors,  and  made 


116  LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF   SPAIN. 

another  attempt  to  penetrate  the  mountains,  but  was  again 
waylaid  and  opposed  with  horrible  slaughter. 

The  fiery  son  of  Ishmael  foamed  with  rage  at  being  thus 
checked  in  his  career  and  foiled  in  his  revenge.  He  was  on 
the  point  of  abandoning  the  attempt,  and  returning  to  the 
vega,  when  a  Christian  boor  sought  his  camp,  and  ,iras  ad 
mitted  to  his  presence.  The  miserable  wretch  possessed  a 
cabin  and  a  little  patch  of  ground  among  the  mountains,  and 
offered,  if  these  should  be  protected  from  ravage,  to  inform  the 
Arab  commander  of  a  way  by  which  troops  of  horse  might  be 
safely  introduced  into  the  bosom  of  the  sierra,  and  the  whole 
subdued.  The  name  of  this  caitiff  was  Faridino,  and  it  de 
serves  to  be  perpetually  recorded  with  ignominy.  His  case  is 
an  instance  how  much  it  is  in  the  power,  at  times,  of  the  most 
insignificant  being  to  do  mischief,  and  how  all  the  valor  of  the 
magnanimous  and  the  brave  may  be  defeated  by  the  treason 
of  the  selfish  and  the  despicable. 

Instructed  by  this  traitor,  the  Arab  commander  caused  ten 
thousand  foot-soldiers  and  four  thousand  horsemen,  commanded 
by  a  valiant  captain,  named  Ibrahim  Albuxarra,  to  be  conveyed 
by  sea  to  the  little  port  of  Adra,  at  the  Mediterranean  foot  of 
the  mountains.  Here  they  landed,  and,  guided  by  the  traitor, 
penetrated  to  the  heart  of  the  sierra,  laying  everything  waste. 
The  brave  mountaineers,  thus  hemmed  in  between  two  armies, 
destitute  of  fortresses  and  without  hope  of  succor,  were  obliged 
to  capitulate ;  but  their  valor  was  not  without  avail,  for  never, 
even  in  Spain,  did  vanquished  people  surrender  on  prouder  or 
more  honorable  terms.  We  have  named  the  wretch  who  be 
trayed  his  native  mountains  ;  let  us  equally  record  the  name  of 
him  whose  pious  patriotism  saved  them  from  desolation.  It 
•vas  the  reverend  Bishop  Centerio.  While  the  warriors  rested 


LEGEND    OF   THE    SUBJUGATION    OF   SPAIN.  117 

on  their  arms  in  grim  and  menacing  tranquillity  among  the 
cliffs,  this  venerable  prelate  descended  to  the  Arab  tents  in  the 
valley,  to  conduct  the  capitulation.  In  stipulating  for  the 
safety  of  his  people,  he  did  not  forget  that  they  were  brave 
men,  and  that  they  still  had  weapons  in  their  hands.  He  ob 
tained  conditions  accordingly.  It  was  agreed  that  they  should 
be  permitted  to  retain  their  houses,  lands,  and  personal  effects ; 
that  they  should  be  unmolested  in  their  religion,  and  their  tem 
ples  and  priests  respected ;  and  that  they  should  pay  no  other 
tribute  than  such  as  they  had  been  accustomed  to  render  to 
their  kings.  Should  they  prefer  to  leave  the  country  and  re 
move  to  any  part  of  Christendom,  they  were  to  be  allowed  to 
sell  their  possessions,  and  to  take  with  them  the  money,  and 
all  their  other  effects.* 

Ibrahim  Albuxarra  remained  in  command  of  the  territory, 
and  the  whole  sierra,  or  chain  of  mountains,  took  his  name, 
which  has  since  been  slightly  corrupted  into  that  of  the  Alpux- 
arras.  The  subjugation  of  this  rugged  region,  however,  was 
for  a  long  time  incomplete  ;  many  of  the  Christians  maintained 
a  wild  and  hostile  independence,  living  in  green  glens  and 
scanty  valleys  among  the  heights ;  and  the  sierra  of  the  Al- 
puxarras  has  in  all  ages  been  one  of  the  most  difficult  parts  of 
Andalusia  to  be  subdued. 

*  Pedraza,  Hist.  Granad.  p.  3,  c.  2.    Bleda,  Cronica,  L.  2,  c.  10. 


118  LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OP    SPAIN. 


CHAPTER  III. 

EXPEDITION    OF    MAGUED    AGAINST    CORDOVA. DEFENCE    OF 

THE    PATRIOT    PELISTES. 

WHILE  the  veteran  Taric  was  making  this  wide  circuit 
through  the  land,  the  expedition  under  Magued  the  renegade 
proceeded  against  the  city  of  Cordova.  The  inhabitants  of 
that  ancient  place  had  beheld  the  great  army  of  Don  Roderick 
spreading  like  an  inundation  over  the  plain  of  the  Guadal 
quivir,  and  had  felt  confident  that  it  must  sweep  the  infidel  in 
vaders  from  the  land.  What  then  was  their  dismay  when  scat 
tered  fugitives,  wild  with  horror  and  affright,  brought  them 
tidings  of  the  entire  overthrow  of  that  mighty  host,  and  the 
disappearance  of  the  king  !  In  the  midst  of  their  consterna 
tion,  the  Gothic  noble,  Pelistes,  arrived  at  their  gates,  haggard 
with  fatigue  of  body  and  anguish  of  mind,  and  leading  a  rem 
nant  of  his  devoted  cavaliers,  who  had  survived  the  dreadful 
battle  of  the  Guadalete.  The  people  of  Cordova  knew  the 
valiant  and  steadfast  spirit  of  Pelistes,  and  rallied  round  him 
as  a  last  hope.  "  Roderick  is  fallen,"  cried  they,  "  and  we  have 
neither  king  nor  captain  ;  be  unto  us  as  a  sovereign ;  take 
command  of  our  city,  and  protect  us  in  this  hour  of  peril ! " 

The  heart  of  Pelistes  was  free  from  ambition,  and  was  too 
much  broken  by  grief  to  be  flattered  by  the  offer  of  command ; 
but  he  felt  above  everything  for  the  woes  of  his  country,  and 
was  ready  to  assume  any  desperate  service  in  her  cause.  "  Your 


LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN.  119 

city,"  said  he,  "  is  surrounded  by  walls  and  towers,  and  may  yet 
check  the  progress  of  the  foe.  Promise  to  stand  by  me  to  the 
last,  and  I  will  undertake  your  defence."  The  inhabitants  all 
promised  implicit  obedience  and  devoted  zeal ;  for  what  will 
not  the  inhabitants  of  a  wealthy  city  promise  and  profess  in  a 
moment  of  alarm.  The  instant,  however,  that  they  heard  of 
the  approach  of  the  Moslem  troops,  the  wealthier  citizens 
packed  up  their  effects  and  fled  to  the  mountains,  or  to  the  dis 
tant  city  of  Toledo.  Even  the  monks  collected  the  riches  of 
their  convents  and  churches,  and  fled.  Pelistes,  though  he  saw 
himself  thus  deserted  by  those  who  had  the  greatest  interest  in 
the  safety  of  the  city,  yet  determined  not  to  abandon  its  de 
fence.  He  had  still  his  faithful  though  scanty  band  of  cava 
liers,  and  a  number  of  fugitives  of  the  army,  —  in  all  amounting 
to  about  four  hundred  men.  He  stationed  guards,  therefore,  at 
the  gates  and  in  the  towers,  and  made  every  preparation  for  a 
desperate  resistance. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  army  of  Moslems  and  apostate  Chris 
tians  advanced,  under  the  command  of  the  Greek  renegado 
Magued,  and  guided  by  the  traitor  Julian.  While  they  were 
yet  at  some  distance  from  the  city,  their  scouts  brought  to  them 
a  shepherd,  whom  they  had  surprised  on  the  banks  of  the  Gua 
dalquivir.  The  trembling  hind  was  an  inhabitant  of  Cordova, 
and  revealed  to  them  the  state  of  the  place  and  the  weakness 
of  its  garrison. 

"  And  the  walls  and  gates,"  said  Magued,  "  are  they  strong 
and  well  guarded  ?  " 

"  The  walls  are  high  and  of  wondrous  strength,"  replied  the 
shepherd,  "  and  soldiers  hold  watch  at  the  gates  by  day  and 
night.  But  there  is  one  place  where  the  city  may  be  secretly 
entered.  In  a  part  of  the  wall,  not  far  from  the  bridge,  the 


120  LEGEND    OF   THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN. 

battlements  are  broken,  and  there  is  a  breach  at  some  height 
from  the  ground.  Hard  by  stands  a  fig-tree,  by  the  aid  of 
which  the  wall  may  easily  be  scaled." 

Having  received  this  information,  Magued  halted  with  his 
army,  and  sent  forward  several  renegado  Christians,  partisans 
of  Count  Julian,  who  entered  Cordova  as  if  flying  before  the 
enemy.  On  a  dark  and  tempestuous  night,  the  Moslems  ap 
proached  to  the  end  of  the  bridge  which  crosses  the  Guadal 
quivir,  and  remained  in  ambush.  Magued  took  a  small  party 
of  chosen  men,  and,  guided  by  the  shepherd,  forded  the  stream 
and  groped  silently  along  the  wall  to  the  place  where  stood  the 
fig-tree.  The  traitors,  who  had  fraudulently  entered  the  city, 
were  ready  on  the  wall  to  render  assistance.  Magued  ordered 
his  followers  to  make  use  of  the  long  folds  of  their  turbans  in 
stead  of  cords,  and  succeeded  without  difficulty  in  clambering 
into  the  breach. 

Drawing  their  scimitars,  they  now  hastened  to  the  gate  which 
opened  towards  the  bridge  ;  the  guards,  suspecting  no  assault 
from  within,  were  taken  by  surprise  and  easily  overpowered ; 
the  gate  was  thrown  open,  and  the  army  that  had  remained  in 
ambush,  rushed  over  the  bridge,  and  entered  without  opposi 
tion. 

The  alarm  had  by  this  time  spread  throughout  the  city  ;  but 
already  a  torrent  of  armed  men  was  pouring  through  the  streets. 
Pelistes  sallied  forth  with  his  cavaliers  and  such  of  the  soldiery 
as  he  could  collect,  and  endeavored  to  repel  the  foe  ;  but  every 
effort  was  in  vain.  The  Christians  were  slowly  driven  from 
street  to  street,  and  square  to  square,  disputing  every  inch  of 
ground ;  until,  finding  another  body  of  the  enemy  approaching 
to  attack  them  in  rear,  they  took  refuge  in  a  convent,  and  suc 
ceeded  in  throwing  to  and  barring  the  ponderous  doors.  The 


LEGEND    OF   THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN.  121 

Moors  attempted  to  force  the  gates,  but  were  assailed  with  such 
showers  of  missiles  from  the,  windows  and  battlements  that 
they  were  obliged  to  retire.  Pelistes  examined  the  convent, 
and  found  it  admirably  calculated  for  defence.  It  was  of  great 
extent,  with  spacious  courts  and  cloisters.  The  gates  were 
massive,  and  secured  with  bolts  and  bars ;  the  walls  were  of 
great  thickness ;  the  windows  high  and  grated ;  there  was  a 
great  tank  or  cistern  of  water,  and  the  friars,  who  had  fled  from 
the  city,  had  left  behind  a  good  supply  of  provisions.  Here, 
then,  Pelistes  proposed  to  make  a  stand,  and  to  endeavor  to 
hold  out  until  succor  should  arrive  from  some  other  city.  His 
proposition  was  received  with  shouts  by  his  loyal  cavaliers ;  not 
one  of  whom  but  was  ready  to  lay  down  his  life  in  the  service 
of  his  commander. 


122  LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

DEFENCE    OF    THE    CONVENT    OF    ST.    GEORGE    BIT   PELISTES. 

FOR  three  long  and  anxious  months  did  the  good  knight 
Pelistes  and  his  cavaliers  defend  their  sacred  asylum  against 
the  repeated  assaults  of  the  infidels.  The  standard  of  the 
true  faith  was  constantly  displayed  from  the  loftiest  tower, 
and  a  fire  blazed  there  throughout  the  night,  as  signals  of  dis 
tress  to  the  surrounding  country.  The  watchman  from  his 
turret  kept  a  wary  lookout  over  the  land,  hoping  in  every 
cloud  of  dust  to  descry  the  glittering  helms  of  Christian  war 
riors.  The  country,  however,  was  forlorn  and  abandoned,  or 
if  perchance  a  human  being  was  perceived,  it  was  some  Arab 
horseman,  careering  the  plain  of  the  Guadalquivir  as  fearlessly 
as  if  it  were  his  native  desert. 

By  degrees  the  provisions  of  the  convent  were  consumed, 
and  the  cavaliers  had  to  slay  their  horses,  one  by  one,  for  food. 
They  suffered  the  wasting  miseries  of  famine  without  a  mur 
mur,  and  always  met  their  commander  with  a  smile.  Pelistes, 
however,  read  their  sufferings  in  their  wan  and  emaciated 
countenances,  and  felt  more  for  them  than  for  himself.  He 
was  grieved  at  heart  that  such  loyalty  and  valor  should  only 
lead  to  slavery  or  death,  and  resolved  to  make  one  desperate 
attempt  for  their  deliverance.  Assembling  them  one  day  in 
the  court  of  the  convent,  he  disclosed  to  them  his  purpose. 

"  Comrades  and  brothers  in  arms,"  said  he,  "  it  is  needless 


LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN.  123 

to  conceal  danger  from  brave  men.  Our  case  is  desperate  ; 
our  countrymen  either  know  not  or  heed  not  our  situation,  or 
have  not  the  means  to  help  us.  There  is  but  one  chance  of 
escape  ;  it  is  full  of  peril,  and,  as  your  leader,  I  claim  the  right 
to  brave  it.  To-morrow  at  break  of  day  I  will  sally  forth  and 
make  for  the  city  gates  at  the  moment  of  their  being  opened ; 
no  one  will  suspect  a  solitary  horseman  ;  I  shall  be  taken  for 
one  of  those  recreant  Christians  who  have  basely  mingled  with 
the  enemy.  If  I  succeed  in  getting  out  of  the  city  I  will  hasten 
to  Toledo  for  assistance.  In  all  events  I  shall  be  back  in  less 
than  twenty  days.  Keep  a  vigilant  lookout  toward  the  nearest 
mountain.  If  you  behold  five  lights  blazing  upon  its  summit, 
be  assured  I  am  at  hand  with  succor,  and  prepare  yourselves 
to  sally  forth  upon  the  city  as  I  attack  the  gates.  Should  I 
fail  in  obtaining  aid  I  will  return  to  die  with  you." 

When  he  had  finished,  his  warriors  would  fain  have  sev 
erally  undertaken  the  enterprise,  and  they  remonstrated  against 
his  exposing  himself  to  such  peril ;  but  he  was  not  to  be  shaken 
from  his  purpose.  On  the  following  morning,  ere  the  break 
of  day,  his  horse  was  led  forth,  caparisoned,  into  the  court  of 
the  convent,  and  Pelistes  appeared  in  complete  armor.  As 
sembling  his  cavaliers  in  the  chapel,  he  prayed  with  them  for 
some  time  before  the  altar  of  the  holy  Virgin.  Then  rising 
and  standing  in  the  midst  of  them,  "  God  knows,  my  compan 
ions,"  said  he,  "  whether  we  have  any  longer  a  country ;  if  not, 
better  were  we  in  our  graves.  Loyal  and  true  have  ye  been 
to  me,  and  loyal  have  ye  been  to  my  son,  even  to  the  hour  of 
his  death ;  and  grieved  am  I  that  I  have  no  other  means  of 
proving  my  love  for  you,  than  by  adventuring  my  worthless 
life  for  your  deliverance.  All  I  ask  of  you  before  I  go,  is  a 
solemn  promise  to  defend  yourselves  to  the  last  like  brave  men 


124  LEGEND    OF   THE   SUBJUGATION   OF   SPAIN. 

and  Christian  cavaliers,  and  never  to  renounce  your  faith,  or 
throw  yourselves  on  the  mercy  of  the  renegado  Magued,  or 
the  traitor  Julian."  They  all  pledged  their  words,  and  took 
a  solemn  oath  to  the  same  effect  before  the  altar. 

Pelistes  then  embraced  them  one  by  one,  and  gave  them  his 
benediction,  and  as  he  did  so  his  heart  yearned  over  them,  for 
he  felt  towards  them,  not  merely  as  a  companion  in  arms  and 
as  a  commander,  but  as  a  father ;  and  he  took  leave  of  them 
as  if  he  had  been  going  to  his  death.  The  warriors,  on  their 
part,  crowded  round  him  in  silence,  kissing  his  hands  and  the 
hem  of  his  surcoat,  and  many  of  the  sternest  shed  tears. 

The  gray  of  the  dawning  had  just  streaked  the  east,  when 
Pelistes  took  lance  in  hand,  hung  his  shield  about  his  neck, 
and  mounting  his  steed,  issued  quietly  forth  from  a  pos 
tern  of  the  convent.  He  paced  slowly  through  the  vacant 
streets,  and  the  tramp  of  his  steed  echoed  afar  in  that  silent 
hour  ;  but  no  one  suspected  a  warrior,  moving  thus  singly  and 
tranquilly  in  an  armed  city,  to  be  an  enemy.  He  arrived  at 
the  gate  just  at  the  hour  of  opening ;  a  foraging  party  was 
entering  with  cattle  and  with  beasts  of  burden,  and  he  passed 
unheeded  through  the  throng.  As  soon  as  he  was  out  of  sight 
of  the  soldiers  who  guarded  the  gate,  he  quickened  his  pace, 
at  length,  galloping  at  full  speed,  succeeded  in  gaining  the 
mountains.  Here  he  paused,  and  alighted  at  a  solitary  farm 
house  to  breathe  his  panting  steed ;  but  had  scarce  put  foot  to 
ground  when  he  heard  the  distant  sound  of  pursuit,  and  be 
held  a  horseman  spurring  up  the  mountain. 

Throwing  himself  again  upon  his  steed,  he  abandoned  the 
road  and  galloped  across  the  rugged  heights.  The  deep  dry 
channel  of  a  torrent  checked  his  career,  and  his  hqrse  stum 
bling  upon  the  margin,  rolled  with  his  rider  to  the  bottom. 


LEGEND    OF   THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN.  125 

Pelistes  was  sorely  bruised  by  the  fall,  and  his  whole  visage 
was  bathed  in  blood.  His  horse,  too,  was  maimed  and  unable 
to  stand,  so  that  there  was  no  hope  of  escape.  The  enemy 
drew  near,  and  proved  to  be  no  other  than  Magued  the  rene- 
gado  general,  who  had  perceived  him  as  he  issued  forth  from 
the  city  and  had  followed  singly  in  pursuit.  "Well  met,  senor 
alcayde  !  "  exclaimed  he,  "  and  overtaken  in  good  time.  Sur 
render  yourself  my  prisoner." 

Pelistes  made  no  other  reply  than  by  drawing  his  sword, 
bracing  his  shield,  and  preparing  for  defence.  Magued,  though 
an  apostate,  and  a  fierce  warrior,  possessed  some  sparks  of 
knightly  magnanimity.  Seeing  his  adversary  dismounted,  he 
disdained  to  take  him  at  a  disadvantage,  but,  alighting,  tied 
his  horse  to  a  tree. 

The  conflict  that  ensued  was  desperate  and  doubtful,  for 
seldom  had  two  warriors  met  so  well  matched  or  of  equal 
prowess.  Their  shields  were  hacked  to  pieces,  the  ground 
was  strewed  with  fragments  of  their  armor,  and  stained  with 
their  blood.  They  paused  repeatedly  to  take  breath,  regard 
ing  each  other  with  wonder  and  admiration.  Pelistes,  how 
ever,  had  been  previously  injured  by  his  fall,  and  fought  to 
great  disadvantage.  The  renegado  perceived  it,  and  sought 
not  to  slay  him,  but  to  take  him  alive.  Shifting  his  ground 
continually,  he  wearied  his  antagonist,  who  was  grdwing  weaker 
and  weaker  from  the  loss  of  blood.  At  length  Pelistes  seemed 
to  summon  up  all  his  remaining  strength  to  make  a  signal 
blow  ;  it  was  skilfully  parried,  and  he  fell  prostrate  upon  the 
ground.  The  renegado  ran  up,  and  putting  his  foot  upon  his 
sword,  and  the  point  of  his  scimitar  to  his  throat,  called  upon 
him  to  ask  his  life  ;  but  Pelistes  lay  without  sense,  and  as  one 
dead.  Magued  then  unlaced  the  helmet  of  his  vanquished 


126  tEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN. 

enemy,  and  seated  himself  on  a  rock  beside  him,  to  recover 
breath.  In  this  situation  the  warriors  were  found  by  certain 
Moorish  cavaliers,  who  marvelled  much  at  the  traces  of  that 
stern  and  bloody  combat. 

Finding  there  was  yet  life  in  the  Christian  knight,  they 
laid  him  upon  one  of  their  horses,  and  aiding  Magued  to 
remount  his  steed,  proceeded  slowly  to  the  city.  As  the 
convoy  passed  by  the  convent,  the  cavaliers  looked  forth  and 
beheld  their  commander  borne  along  bleeding  and  a  captive. 
Furious  at  the  sight,  they  sallied  forth  to  the  rescue,  but  were 
repulsed  by  a  superior  force  and  driven  back  to  the  great 
portal  of  the  church.  The  enemy  entered  pell-mell  with 
them,  fighting  from  aisle  to  aisle,  from  altar  to  altar,  and  in 
the  courts  and  cloisters  of  the  convent.  The  greater  part 
of  the  cavaliers  died  bravely,  sword  in  hand ;  the  rest  were 
disabled  with  wounds  and  made  prisoners.  The  convent, 
which  was  lately  their  castle,  was  now  made  their  prison,  and 
in  after-times,  in  commemoration  of  this  event,  was  conse 
crated  by  the  name  of  St.  George  of  the  Captives. 


LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN.  127 


CHAPTER   V. 

MEETING    BETWEEN   THE   PATRIOT  PELISTES   AND   THE  TRAITOR 

JULIAN. 

THE  loyalty  and  prowess  of  the  good  knight  Pelistes  had 
gained  him  the  reverence  even  of  his  enemies.  He  was  for 
a  long  time  disabled  by  his  wounds,  during  which  he  was 
kindly  treated  by  the  Arab  chieftains,  who  strove  by  every 
courteous  means  to  cheer  his  sadness  and  make  him  forget 
that  he  was  a  captive.  When  he  was  recovered  from  his 
wounds  they  gave  him  a  magnificent  banquet,  to  testify  their 
admiration  of  his  virtues. 

Pelistes  appeared  at  the  banquet  clad  in  sable  armor,  and 
with  a  countenance  pale  and  dejected,  for  the  ills  of  his 
country  evermore  preyed  upon  his  heart.  Among  the  assem 
bled  guests  was  Count  Julian,  who  held  a  high  command  in 
the  Moslem  army,  and  was  arrayed  in  garments  of  mingled 
Christian  and  morisco  fashion.  Pelistes  had  been  a  close 
and  bosom  friend  of  Julian  in  former  times,  and  had  served 
with  him  in  the  wars  in  Africa,  but  when  the  count  advanced 
to  accost  him  with  his  wonted  amity,  he  turned  away  in  silence 
and  deigned  not  to  notice  him ;  neither,  during  the  whole  of 
the  repast,  did  he  address  to  him  ever  a  word,  but  treated 
him  as  one  unknown. 

When  the   banquet  was   nearly  at  a  close,  the   discourse 


128  LEGEND    OF   THE    SUBJUGATION   OF   SPAIN. 

turned  upon  the  events  of  the  war,  and  the  Moslem  chief 
tains,  in  great  courtesy,  dwelt  upon  the  merits  of  many  of 
the  Christian  cavaliers  who  had  fallen  in  battle,  and  all  ex 
tolled  the  valor  of  those  who  had  recently  perished  in  the 
defence  of  the  convent.  Pelistes  remained  silent  for  a  time, 
and  checked  the  grief  which  swelled  within  his  bosom  as  he 
thought  of  his  devoted  cavaliers.  At  length,  lifting  up  his 
voice,  "  Happy  are  the  dead,"  said  he,  "  for  they  rest  in  peace, 
and  are  gone  to  receive  the  reward  of  their  piety  and  valor ! 
I  could  mourn  over  the  loss  of  my  companions  in  arms,  but 
they  have  fallen  with  honor,  and  are  spared  the  wretchedness 
I  feel  in  witnessing  the  thraldom  of  my  country.  I  have 
seen  my  only  son,  the  pride  and  hope  of  my  age,  cut  down 
at  my  side  ;  I  have  beheld  kindred,  friends,  and  followers  fall 
ing  one  by  one  around  me,  and  have  become  so  seasoned 
to  those  losses  that  I  have  ceased  to  weep.  Yet  there  is  one 
man  over  whose  loss  I  will  never  cease  to  grieve.  He  was 
the  loved  companion  of  my  youth,  and  the  steadfast  associate 
of  my  graver  years.  He  was  one  of  the  most  loyal  of  Chris 
tian  knights.  As  a  friend,  he  was  loving  and  sincere ;  as  a 
warrior,  his  achievements  were  above  all  praise.  What  has 
become  of  him,  alas,  I  know  not !  If  fallen  in  battle,  and 
I  knew  where  his  bones  were  laid,  whether  bleaching  on  the 
plains  of  Xeres  or  buried  in  the  waters  of  the  Guadalete, 
I  would  seek  them  out  and  enshrine  them  as  the  relics  of  a 
sainted  patriot.  Or  if,  like  many  of  his  companions  in  arms, 
he  should  be  driven  to  wander  in  foreign  lands,  I  would  join 
him  in  his  hapless  exile,  and  we  would  mourn  together  over 
the  desolation  of  our  country  ! " 

Even   the   hearts  of  the   Arab   warriors  were   touched   by 


LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN.  129 

the  lament  of  the  good  Pelistes,  and  they  said,  — "  Who 
was  this  peerless  friend  in  whose  praise  thou  art  so 
fervent  ?" 

"His  name,"  replied  Pelistes,  "was   Count  Julian." 

The  Moslem  warriors  stared  with  surprise.  "Noble  cava 
lier,"  exclaimed  they,  "  has  grief  disordered  thy  senses  ? 
Behold  thy  friend  living  and  standing  before  thee,  and  yet 
thou  dost  not  know  him  !  This,  this  is  Count  Julian  !  " 

Upon  this,  Pelistes  turned  his  eyes  upon  the  count,  and 
regarded  him  for  a  time  with  a  lofty  and  stern  demeanor; 
and  the  countenance  of  Julian  darkened,  and  was  troubled, 
and  his  eye  sank  beneath  the  regard  of  that  loyal  and  honor 
able  cavalier.  And  Pelistes  said,  "  In  the  name  of  God,  I 
charge  thee,  man  unknown !  to  answer.  Dost  thou  presume 
to  call  thyself  Count  Julian?" 

The  count  reddened  with  anger  at  these  words.  "  Pelistes," 
said  he,  "  what  means  this  mockery  ?  thou  knowest  me  well ; 
thou  knowest  me  for  Count  Julian." 

"  I  know  thee  for  a  base  impostor !  "  cried  Pelistes.  "  Count 
Julian  was  a  noble  Gothic  knight ;  but  thou  appearest  in  mon 
grel  Moorish  garb.  Count  Julian  was  a  Christian,  faithful 
and  devout ;  but  I  behold  in  thee  a  renegado  and  an  infidel. 
Count  Julian  was  ever  loyal  to  his  king,  and  foremost  in  his 
country's  cause  ;  were  he  living  he  would  be  the  first  to  put 
shield  on  neck  and  lance  in  rest,  to  clear  the  land  of  her 
invaders ;  but  thou  art  a  hoary  traitor !  thy  hands  are  stained 
with  the  royal  blood  of  the  Goths,  and  thou  hast  betrayed 
thy  country  and  thy  God.  Therefore,  I  again  repeat,  man 
unknown !  if  thou  sayest  thou  art  Count  Julian,  thou  liest ! 
My  friend,  alas,  is  dead ;  and  thou  art  some  fiend  from  hell, 
which  hast  taken  possession  of  his  body  to  dishonor  his 


130  LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN. 

memory  and  render  him  an  abhorrence  among  men  ! "  So 
saying,  Pelistes  turned  his  back  upon  the  traitor,  and  went 
forth  from  the  banquet;  leaving  Count  Julian  overwhelmed 
with  confusion,  and  an  object  of  scorn  to  all  the  Moslem 
cavaliers. 


LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN.  131 


CHAPTER  VI. 

HOW  TAKIC  EL  TUERTO  CAPTURED  THE  CITY  OF  TOLEDO 
THROUGH  THE  AID  OF  THE  JEWS,  AND  HOW  HE  FOUND 
THE  FAMOUS  TALISMANIC  TABLE  OF  SOLOMON. 

WHILE  these  events  were  passing  in  Cordova,  the  one-eyed 
Arab  general,  Taric  el  Tuerto,  having  subdued  the  city  and 
vega  of  Granada,  and  the  Mountains  of  the  Sun  and  Air,  di 
rected  his  inarch  into  the  interior  of  the  kingdom,  to  attack  the 
ancient  city  of  Toledo,  the  capital  of  the  Gothic  kings.  So 
great  was  the  terror  caused  by  the  rapid  conquests  of  the  in 
vaders,  that  at  the  very  rumor  of  their  approach  many  of  the 
inhabitants,  though  thus  in  the  very  citadel  of  the  kingdom, 
abandoned  it  and  fled  to  the  mountains  with  their  families. 
Enough  remained,  however,  to  have  made  a  formidable  de 
fence  ;  and,  as  the  city  was  seated  on  a  lofty  rock,  surrounded 
by  massive  walls  and  towers,  and  almost  girdled  by  the  Tagus, 
it  threatened  a  long  resistance.  The  Arab  warriors  pitched 
their  tents  in  the  vega,  on  the  borders  of  the  river,  and  pre 
pared  for  a  tedious  siege. 

One  evening,  as  Taric  was  seated  in  his  tent,  meditating  on 
the  mode  in  which  he  should  assail  this  rock-built  city,  certain 
of  the  patrols  of  the  camp  brought  a  stranger  before  him. 
"  As  we  were  going  our  rounds,"  said  they,  "  we  beheld  this 
man  lowered  down  with  cords  from  a  tower,  and  he  delivered 
himself  into  our  hands,  praying  to  be  conducted  to  thy  pres- 


132  LEGEND    OP   THE    SUBJUGATION   OF    SPAIN. 

ence,  that  he  might  reveal  to  thee  certain  things  important  for 
thee  to  know." 

Taric  fixed  his  eyes  upon  the  stranger ;  he  was  a  Jewish 
rabbi,  with  a  long  beard  which  spread  upon  his  gabardine,  and 
descended  even  to  his  girdle.  "  What  hast  thou  to  reveal  ?  " 
said  he  to  the  Israelite.  "  What  I  have  to  reveal,"  replied  the 
other,  "  is  for  thee  alone  to  hear ;  command  then,  I  entreat 
thee,  that  these  men  withdraw."  When  they  were  alone  he  ad 
dressed  Taric  in  Arabic :  "  Know,  O  leader  of  the  host  of  Is 
lam,"  said  he,  "  that  I  am  sent  to  thee  on  the  part  of  the  chil 
dren  of  Israel,  resident  in  Toledo.  We  have  been  oppressed 
and  insulted  by  the  Christians  in  the  time  of  their  prosperity, 
and  now  that  they  are  threatened  with  siege,  they  have  taken 
from  us  all  our  provisions  and  our  money ;  they  have  compelled 
us  to  work  like  slaves,  repairing  their  walls ;  and  they  oblige 
us  to  bear  arms  and  guard  a  part  of  the  towers.  We  abhor 
their  yoke,  and  are  ready,  if  thou  wilt  receive  us  as  subjects, 
and  permit  us  the  free  enjoyment  of  our  religion  and  our  prop 
erty,  to  deliver  the  towers  we  guard  into  thy  hands,  and  to  give 
thee  safe  entrance  into  the  city." 

The  Arab  chief  was  overjoyed  at  this  proposition,  and  he 
rendered  much  honor  to  the  rabbi,  and  gave  orders  to  clothe 
him  in  a  costly  robe,  and  to  perfume  his  beard  with  essences  of 
a  pleasant  odor,  so  that  he  was  the  most  sweet-smelling  of  his 
tribe ;  and  he  said,  "  Make  thy  words  good,  and  put  me  in  pos 
session  of  the  city,  and  I  will  do  all  and  more  than  thou  hast 
required,  and  will  bestow  countless  wealth  upon  thee  and  thy 
brethren." 

Then  a  plan  was  devised  between  them  by  which  the  city 
was  to  be  betrayed  and  given  up.  "  But  how  shall  I  be  se 
cured,"  said  he,  "  that  all  thy  tribe  will  fulfil  what  thou  hast  en- 


LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN.  133 

gaged,  and  that  this  is  not  a  stratagem  to  get  me  and  my  people 
into  your  power  ?  " 

"  This  shall  be  thy  assurance,"  replied  the  rabbi ;  "  ten  of 
the  principal  Israelites  will  come  to  this  tent  and  remain  as 
hostages." 

"  It  is  enough,"  said  Taric ;  and  he  made  oath  to  accomplish 
all  that  he  had  promised ;  and  the  Jewish  hostages  came  and 
delivered  themselves  into  his  hands. 

On  a  dark  night,  a  chosen  band  of  Moslem  warriors  ap 
proached  the  part  of  the  walls  guarded  by  the  Jews,  and  were 
secretly  admitted  into  a  postern  gate  and  concealed  within  a 
tower.  Three  thousand  Arabs  were  at  the  same  time  placed 
in  ambush  among  rocks  and  thickets,  in  a  place  on  the  opposite 
side  of  the  river,  commanding  a  view  of  the  city.  On  the  fol 
lowing  morning  Taric  ravaged  the  gardens  of  the  valley,  and 
set  fire  to  the  farm-houses,  and  then,  breaking  up  his  camp, 
marched  off  as  if  abandoning  the  siege. 

The  people  of  Toledo  gazed  with  astonishment  from  their 
walls  at  the  retiring  squadrons  of  the  enemy,  and  scarcely  could 
credit  their  unexpected  deliverance  ;  before  night  there  was  not 
a  turban  nor  a  hostile  lance  to  be  seen  in  the  vega.  They  at 
tributed  it  all  to  the  special  intervention  of  their  patron  saint, 
Leocadia  ;  and  the  following  day  being  Palm  Sunday,  they  sal 
lied  forth  in  procession,  man,  woman,  and  child,  to  the  church 
of  that  blessed  saint,  which  is  situated  without  the  walls,  that 
they  might  return  thanks  for  her  marvellous  protection. 

When  all  Toledo  had  thus  poured  itself  forth,  and  was 
marching  with  cross  and  relic  and  solemn  chant  towards  the 
chapel,  the  Arabs  who  had  been  concealed  in  the  tower  rushed 
forth  and  barred  the  gates  of  the  city.  While  some  guarded 
the  gates,  others  dispersed  themselves  about  the  streets,  slaying 


134  LEGEND    OF   THE   SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN. 

all  who  made  resistance  ;  and  others  kindled  a  fire  and  made  a 
column  of  smoke  on  the  top  of  the  citadel.  At  sight  of  this 
signal,  the  Arabs  in  ambush  beyond  the  river  rose  with  a  great 
shout,  and  attacked  the  multitude  who  were  thronging  to  the 
church  of  St.  Leocadia.  There  was  a  great  massacre,  although 
the  people  were  without  arms  and  made  no  resistance ;  and  it 
is  said  in  ancient  chronicles  that  it  was  the  apostate  Bishop  Op- 
pas  who  guided  the  Moslems  to  their  prey,  and  incited  them  to 
this  slaughter.  The  pious  reader,  says  Fray  Antonio  Agapida, 
will  be  slow  to  believe  such  turpitude;  but  there  is  nothing 
more  venomous  than  the  rancor  of  an  apostate  priest ;  for  the 
best  things  in  this  world,  when  corrupted,  become  the  worst 
and  most  baneful. 

Many  of  the  Christians  had  taken  refuge  within  the  church, 
and  had  barred  the  doors,  but  Oppas  commanded  that  fire 
should  be  set  to  the  portals,  threatening  to  put  every  one  within 
to  the  sword.  Happily  the  veteran  Taric  arrived  just  in  time 
to  stay  the  fury  of  this  reverend  renegado.  He  ordered  the 
trumpets  to  call  off  the  troops  from  the  carnage,  and  extended 
grace  to  all  the  surviving  inhabitants.  They  were  permitted  to 
remain  in  quiet  possession  of  their  homes  and  effects,  paying 
only  a  moderate  tribute ;  and  they  were  allowed  to  exercise  the 
rites  of  their  religion  in  the  existing  churches,  to  the  number 
of  seven,  but  were  prohibited  from  erecting  any  others.  Those 
who  preferred  to  leave  the  city  were  suffered  to  depart  in 
safety,  but  not  to  take  with  them  any  of  their  wealth. 

Immense  spoil  was  found  by  Taric  in  the  alcazar,  or  royal 
castle,  situated  on  a  rocky  eminence  in  the  highest  part  of  the 
city.  Among  the  regalia  treasured  up  in  a  secret  chamber 
were  twenty-five  regal  crowns  of  fine  gold,  garnished  with  ja 
cinths,  amethysts,  diamonds,  and  other  precious  stones.  These 


LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN.  135 

were  the  crowns  of  the  different  Gothic  kings  who  had  reigned 
in  Spain ;  it  having  been  the  usage  on  the  death  of  each  king 
to  deposit  his  crown  in  this  treasury,  inscribing  on  it  his  name 
and  age.* 

When  Taric  was  thus  in  possession  of  the  city,  the  Jews 
came  to  him  in  procession,  with  songs  and  dances  and  the 
sound  of  timbrel  and  psaltery,  hailing  him  as  their  lord,  and  re 
minding  him  of  his  promises. 

The  son  of  Ishmael  kept  his  word  with  the  children  of  Is 
rael  ;  they  were  protected  in  the  possession  of  all  their  wealth 
and  the  exercise  of  their  religion,  and  were,  moreover,  rewarded 
with  jewels  of  gold  and  jewels  of  silver  and  much  money  s.f 

A  subsequent  expedition  was  led  by  Taric  against  Guada- 
laxara,  which  surrendered  without  resistance ;  he  moreover 
captured  the  city  of  Medina  Celi,  where  he  found  an  inesti 
mable  table  which  had  formed  a  part  of  the  spoil  taken  at 
Rome  by  Alaric,  at  the  time  that  the  sacred  city  was  con 
quered  by  the  Goths.  It  was  composed  of  one  single  and 
entire  emerald,  and  possessed  talismanic  powers;  for  tradi 
tions  affirm  that  it  was  the  work  of  genii,  and  had  been 
wrought  by  them  for  King  Solomon  the  Wise,  the  son  of  David. 
This  marvellous  relic  was  carefully  preserved  by  Taric,  as 
the  most  precious  of  all  his  spoils,  being  intended  by  him  as 
a  present  to  the  caliph ;  and  in  commemoration  of  it  the 
city  was  called  by  the  Arabs  Medina  Almeyda,  —  that  is  to 
say,  "  The  City  of  the  Table."  $ 

*  Conde,  Hist,  de  las  Arabes  en  Espana,  c.  12. 

t  The  stratagem  of  the  Jews  of  Toledo  is  recorded  briefly  by  Bishop  Lucas  de 
luy,  in  his  chronicle,  but  is  related  at  large  in  the  chronicle  of  the  Moor  Rasis. 

J  According  to  Arabian  legends,  this  table  was  a  mirror  revealing  all  great 
events ;  insomuch  that  by  looking  on  it  the  possessor  might  behold  battles  and 
sieges  and  feats  of  chivalry,  and  all  actions  worthy  of  renown ;  and  might 


136  LEGEND    OF   THE    SUBJUGATION   OF   SPAIN. 

Having  made  these  and  other  conquests  of  less  impor 
tance,  and  having  collected  great  quantities  of  gold  and 
silver,  and  rich  stuffs  and  precious  stones,  Taric  returned 
with  his  booty  to  the  royal  city  of  Toledo. 

thus  ascertain  the  truth  of  all  historic  transactions.  It  was  a  mirror  of  history 
therefore ;  and  had  very  probably  aided  King  Solomon  in  acquiring  that  pro 
digious  knowledge  and  wisdom  for  which  he  was  renowned. 


LEGEND    OF   THE    SUBJUGATION    OP   SPAIN.  137 


CHAPTER  VH. 

MUZA    BEN    NOSIER  ;   HIS    ENTRANCE    INTO    SPAIN,     AND     CAP 
TURE   OF   CARMONA. 

LET  us  leave  for  a  season  the  bold  Taric  in  his  triumphant 
progress  from  city  to  city,  while  we  turn  our  eyes  to  Muza 
ben  Nosier,  the  renowned  Emir  of  Almagreb,  and  the  com- 
mander-in-chief  of  the  Moslem  forces  of  the  West.  When 
that  jealous  chieftain  had  dispatched  his  letter  commanding 
Taric  to  pause  and  await  his  coming,  he  immediately  made 
every  preparation  to  enter  Spain  with  a  powerful  reinforce 
ment,  and  to  take  command  of  the  conquering  army.  He 
left  his  eldest  son,  Abdalasis,  in  Caervan,  with  authority  over 
Almagreb,  or  Western  Africa.  This  Abdalasis  was  in  the 
flower  of  his  youth,  and  beloved  by  the  soldiery  for  the  mag 
nanimity  and  the  engaging  ^affability  which  graced  his  courage. 

Muza  ben  Nosier  crossed  the  Strait  of  Hercules  with  a 
chosen  force  of  ten  thousand  horse  and  eight  thousand  foot, 
Arabs  and  Africans.  He  was  accompanied  by  his  two  sons, 
Meruan  and  Abdelola,  and  by  numerous  illustrious  Arabian 
cavaliers  of  the  tribe  of  the  Koreish.  He  landed  his  shining 
legions  on  the  coast  of  Andalusia,  and  pitched  his  tents  near 
to  the  Guadiana.  There  first  he  received  intelligence  of  the 
disobedience  of  Taric  to  his  orders,  and  that,  without  waiting 
his  arrival,  the  impetuous  chieftain  had  continued  his  career, 
and  with  his  light  Arab  squadrons  had  overrun  and  subdued 
the  noblest  provinces  and  cities  of  the  kingdom. 
7* 


138  LEGEND    OF   THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN. 

The  jealous  spirit  of  Muza  was  still  more  exasperated  by 
these  tidings ;  he  looked  upon  Taric  no  longer  as  a  friend 
and  coadjutor,  but  as  an  invidious  rival,  the  decided  enemy 
of  his  glory;  and  he  determined  on  his  ruin.  His  first  con 
sideration,  however,  was  to  secure  to  himself  a  share  in  the 
actual  conquest  of  the  land  before  it  should  be  entirely  sub 
jugated. 

Taking  guides,  therefore,  from  among  his  Christian  cap 
tives,  he  set  out  to  subdue  such  parts  of  the  country  as  had 
not  been  visited  by  Taric.  The  first  place  which  he  assailed 
was  the  ancient  city  of  Carmona ;  it  was  not  of  great  magni 
tude,  but  was  fortified  with  high  walls  and  massive  towers, 
and  many  of  the  fugitives  of  the  late  army  had  thrown  them 
selves  into  it. 

The  Goths  had  by  this  time  recovered  from  their  first 
panic ;  they  had  become  accustomed  to  the  sight  of  Moslem 
troops,  and  their  native  courage  had  been  roused  by  danger. 
Shortly  after  the  Arabs  had  encamped  before  their  walls,  a 
band  of  cavaliers  made  a  sudden  sally  one  morning  before 
the  break  of  day,  fell  upon  the  enemy  by  surprise,  killed 
above  three  hundred  of  them  in  their  tents,  and  effected 
their  retreat  into  the  city;  leaving  twenty  of  their  number 
dead,  covered  with  honorable  wounds,  and  in  the  very  centre 
of  the  camp. 

On  the  following  day  they  made  another  sally,  and  fell  on 
a  different  quarter  of  the  encampment ;  but  the  Arabs  were 
on  their  guard,  and  met  them  with  superior  numbers.  After 
fighting  fiercely  for  a  time,  they  were  routed,  and  fled  full 
speed  for  the  city,  with  the  Arabs  hard  upon  their  traces. 
The  guards  within  feared  to  open  the  gate,  lest  with  their 
friends  they  should  admit  a  torrent  of  enemies.  Seeing 


LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN.  139 

themselves  thus  shut  out,  the  fugitives  determined  to  die 
like  brave  soldiers  rather  than  surrender.  Wheeling  sud 
denly  round,  they  opened  a  path  through  the  host  of  their 
pursuers,  fought  their  way  back  to  the  camp,  and  raged  about 
it  with  desperate  fury  until  they  were  all  slain,  after  having 
killed  above  eight  hundred  of  the  enemy.* 

Muza  now  ordered  that  the  place  should  be  taken  by  storm. 
The  Moslems  assailed  it  on  all  sides,  but  were  vigorously 
resisted ;  many  were  slain  by  showers  of  stones,  arrows,  and 
boiling  pitch,  and  many  who  had  mounted  with  scaling-lad 
ders  were  thrown  headlong  from  the  battlements.  The  al- 
cayde,  Galo,  aided  solely  by  two  men,  defended  a  tower  and 
a  portion  of  the  wall ;  killing  and  wounding  with  a  cross 
bow  more  than  eighty  of  the  enemy.  The  attack  lasted  above 
half  a  day,  when  the  Moslems  were  repulsed  with  the  loss 
of  fifteen  hundred  men. 

Muza  was  astonished  and  exasperated  at  meeting  with  such 
formidable  resistance  from  so  small  a  city ;  for  it  was  one 
of  the  few  places,  during  that  memorable  conquest,  where 
the  Gothic  valor  shone  forth  with  its  proper  lustre.  While 
the  Moslem  army  lay  encamped  before  the  place,  it  was 
joined  by  Magued  the  renegado,  and  Count  Julian  the  traitor, 
with  one  thousand  horsemen ;  most  of  them  recreant  Chris 
tians,  base  betrayers  of  their  country,  and  more  savage  in 
their  warfare  than  the  Arabs  of  the  desert.  To  find  favor 
in  the  eyes  of  Muza,  and  to  evince  his  devotion  to  the  cause, 
the  count  undertook,  by  wily  stratagem,  to  put  this  gallant 
city  in  his  power. 

One  evening,  just  at  twilight,  a  number  of  Christians,  hab 
ited  as  travelling  merchants,  arrived  at  one  of  the  gates,  con- 
*  Abulcasim,  Perdida  de  Espana,  L.  1,  c.  13. 


140       LEGEND  OP  THE  SUBJUGATION  OF  SPAIN. 

ducting  a  train  of  mules  laden  with  arms  and  warlike  munitions. 
"  Open  the  gate  quickly,"  cried  they  ;  "  we  bring  supplies  for 
the  garrison,  but  the  Arabs  have  discovered  and  are  in  pursuit 
of  us."  The  gate  was  thrown  open,  the  merchants  entered 
with  their  beasts  of  burden,  and  were  joyfully  received.  Meat 
and  drink  were  placed  before  them,  and  after  they  had  re 
freshed  themselves  they  retired  to  the  quarters  allotted  to 
them. 

These  pretended  merchants  were  Count  Julian  and  a  number 
of  his  partisans.  At  the  hour  of  midnight  they  stole  forth 
silently,  and  assembling  together,  proceeded  to  what  was  called 
the  Gate  of  Cordova.  Here  setting  suddenly  upon  the  un 
suspecting  guards,  they  put  them  to  the  edge  of  the  sword, 
and  throwing  open  the  gates  admitted  a  great  body  of  the 
Arabs.  The  inhabitants  were  roused  from  their  sleep  by 
sound  of  drum  and  trumpet  and  the  clattering  of  horses. 
The  Arabs  scoured  the  streets ;  a  horrible  massacre  was  com 
menced,  in  which  none  were  spared  but  such  of  the  females  as 
were  young  and  beautiful,  and  fitted  to  grace  the  harems  of  the 
conquerors.  The  arrival  of  Muza  put  an  end  to  the  pillage 
and  the  slaughter,  and  he  granted  favorable  terms  to  the  sur 
vivors.  Thus  the  valiant  little  city  of  Carmona,  after  nobly 
resisting  the  open  assaults  of  the  infidels,  fell  a  victim  to  the 
treachery  of  apostate  Christians.* 

*  Cron.  gen.  de  Espana,  por  Alonzo  el  Sabio.    P.  3,  c.  1. 


LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN.  141 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

,    MUZA    MARCHES    AGAINST    THE    CITY    OF    SEVILLE. 

AFTER  the  capture  of  Carmona,  Muza  descended  into  a 
noble  plain,  covered  with  fields  of  grain,  with  orchards  and 
gardens,  through  which  glided  the  soft-flowing  Guadalquivir. 
On  the  borders  of  the  river  stood  the  ancient  city  of  Seville, 
surrounded  by  Roman  walls,  and  defended  by  its  golden  tower. 
Understanding  from  his  spies  that  the  city  had  lost  the  flower 
of  its  youth  in  the  battle  of  the  Guadalete,  Muza  anticipated 
but  a  faint  resistance.  A  considerable  force,  however,  still 
remained  within  the  place,  and  what  they  wanted  in  numbers 
they  made  up  in  resolution.  For  some  days  they  withstood  the 
assaults  of  the  enemy,  and  defended  their  walls  with  great 
courage.  Their  want  of  warlike  munitions,  however,  and  the 
superior  force  and  skill  of  the  besieging  army,  left  them  no 
hope  of  being  able  to  hold  out  long.  There  were  two  youthful 
cavaliers  of  uncommon  valor  in  the  city.  They  assembled  the 
warriors  and  addressed  them.  "We  cannot  save  the  city," 
said  they  ;  "  but  at  least  we  may  save  ourselves,  and  preserve  so 
many  strong  arms  for  the  service  of  our  country.  Let  us  cut 
our  way  through  the  infidel  force,  and  gain  some  secure  for 
tress,  from  whence  we  may  return  with  augmented  numbers 
for  the  rescue  of  the  city." 

The  advice  of  the  young  cavaliers  was  adopted.  In  the 
dead  of  the  night  the  garrison  assembled,  to  the  number  of 


142  LEGEND    OF   THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN. 

about  tnree  thousand,  —  the  most  part  mounted  on  horseback. 
Suddenly  sallying  from  one  of  the  gates,  they  rushed  in  a  com 
pact  body  upon  the  camp  of  the  Saracens,  which  was  neg 
ligently  guarded,  for  the  Moslems  expected  no  such  act  of 
desperation.  The  camp  was  a  scene  of  great  carnage  and  con 
fusion  ;  many  were  slain  on  both  sides ;  the  two  valiant  leaders 
of  the  Christians  fell  covered  with'  wounds,  but  the  main  body 
succeeded  in  forcing  their  way  through  the  centre  of  the  army 
and  in  making  their  retreat  to  Beja  in  Lusitania. 

Muza  was  at  a  loss  to  know  the  meaning  of  this  desperate 
sally.  In  the  morning  he  perceived  the  gates  of  the  city  wide 
open.  A  number  of  ancient  and  venerable  men  presented 
themselves  at  his  tent,  offering  submission  and  imploring 
mercy,  for  none  were  left  in  the  place  but  the  old,  the  infirm, 
and  the  miserable.  Muza  listened  to  them  with  compassion, 
and  granted  their  prayer,  and  the  only  tribute  he  exacted  was 
three  measures  of  wheat  and  three  of  barley  from  each  house 
or  family.  He  placed  a  garrison  of  Arabs  in  the  city,  and  left 
there  a  number  of  Jews  to  form  a  body  of  population.  Having 
thus  secured  two  important  places  in  Andalusia,  he  passed  the 
boundaries  of  the  province,  and  advanced  with  great  martial 
pomp  into  Lusitania. 


LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN.  143 


CHAPTER  IX. 

MUZA    BESIEGES    THE    CITY    OF    MERIDA. 

THE  army  of  Muza  was  now  augmented  to  about  eighteen 
thousand  horsemen,  but  he  took  with  him  but  few  foot-soldiers, 
leaving  them  to  garrison  the  conquered  towns.  He  met  with 
no  resistance  on  his  entrance  into  Lusitania.  City  after  city 
laid  its  keys  at  his  feet,  and  implored  to  be  received  in  peaceful 
vassalage.  One  city  alone  prepared  for  vigorous  defence,  the 
ancient  Merida,  a  place  of  great  extent,  uncounted  riches,  and 
prodigious  strength.  A  noble  Goth  named  Sacarus  was  the 
governor, —  a  man  of  consummate  wisdom,  patriotism,  and  valor. 
Hearing  of  the  approach  of  the  invaders,  he  gathered  within 
the  walls  all  the  people  of  the  surrounding  country,  with  their 
horses  and  mules,  their  flocks  and  herds  and  most  precious 
effects.  To  insure  for  a  long  time  a  supply  of  bread,  he  filled 
the  magazines  with  grain,  and  erected  windmills  on  the 
churches.  This  done,  he  laid  waste  the  surrounding  country 
to  a  great  extent,  so  that  a  besieging  army  would  have  to  en 
camp  in  a  desert. 

When  Muza  came  in  sight  of  this  magnificent  city,  he  was 
struck  with  admiration.  He  remained  for  some  time  gazing 
in  silence  upon  its  mighty  walls  and  lordly  towers,  its  vast  ex 
tent,  and  the  stately  palaces  and  temples  with  which  it  was 
adorned.  "  Surely,"  cried  he,  at  length,  "  all  the  people  of  the 


144  LEGEND    OF   THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN. 

earth  have  combined  their  power  and  skill  to  embellish  and 
aggrandize  this  city.  Allah  Achbar !  Happy  will  he  be  who 
shall  have  the  glory  of  making  such  a  conquest ! " 

Seeing  that  a  place  so  populous  and  so  strongly  fortified 
would  be  likely  to  maintain  a  long  and  formidable  resistance, 
he  sent  messengers  to  Africa  to  his  son  Abdalasis,  to  collect 
all  the  forces  that  could  be  spared  from  the  garrisons  of  Mauri 
tania,  and  to  hasten  and  reinforce  him. 

While  Muza  was  forming  his  encampment,  deserters  from 
the  city  brought  him  word  that  a  chosen  band  intended  to 
sally  forth  at  midnight  and  surprise  his  camp.  The  Arab 
commander  immediately  took  measures  to  receive  them  with 
a  counter  surprise.  Having  formed  his  plan,  and  communi 
cated  it  to  his  principal  officers,  he  ordered  that,  throughout 
the  day,  there  should  be  kept  up  an  appearance  of  negligent 
confusion  in  his  encampment.  The  outposts  were  feebly 
guarded ;  fires  were  lighted  in  various  places,  as  if  preparing 
for  feasting  ;  bursts  of  music  and  shouts  of  revelry  resounded 
from  different  quarters,  and  the  whole  camp  seemed  to  be 
rioting  in  careless  security  on  the  plunder  of  the  land.  As  the 
night  advanced,  the  fires  were  gradually  extinguished,  and 
silence  ensued,  as  if  the  soldiery  had  sunk  into  deep  sleep 
after  the  carousal. 

In  the  mean  time  bodies  of  troops  had  been  secretly  and 
silently  marched  to  reinforce  the  outposts ;  and  the  renegade 
Magued,  with  a  numerous  force,  had  formed  an  ambuscade  in 
a  deep  stone  quarry  by  which  the  Christians  would  have  to 
pass.  These  preparations  being  made,  they  awaited  the  ap 
proach  of  the  enemy  in  breathless  silence. 

About  midnight  the  chosen  force  intended  for  the  sally  as 
sembled,  and  the  command  was  confided  to  Count  Tendero,  a 


LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN.  145 

Gothic  cavalier  of  tried  prowess.  After  having  heard  a  solemn 
mass  and  received  the  benediction  of  the  priest,  they  marched 
out  of  the  gate  with  all  possible  silence.  They  were  suffered 
to  pass  the  ambuscade  in  the  quarry  without  molestation ;  as 
they  approached  the  Moslem  camp  everything  appeared  quiet, 
for  the  foot-soldiers  were  concealed  in  slopes  and  hollows, 
and  every  Arab  horseman  lay  in  his  armor  beside  his  steed. 
The  sentinels  on  the  outposts  waited  until  the  Christians  were 
close  at  hand,  and  then  fled  in  apparent  consternation. 

Count  Tendero  gave  the  signal  for  assault,  and  the  Chris 
tians  rushed  confidently  forward.  In  an  instant  an  uproar  of 
drums,  trumpets,  and  shrill  war-cries  burst  forth  from  every 
side.  An  army  seemed  to  spring  up  from  the  earth  ;  squad 
rons  of  horse  came  thundering  on  them  in  front,  while  the 
quarry  poured  forth  legions  of  armed  warriors  in  their  rear. 

The  noise  of  the  terrific  conflict  that  took  place  was  heard 
on  the  city  walls,  and  answered  by  shouts  of  exultation,  for  the 
Christians  thought  it  rose  from  the  terror  and  confusion  of  the 
Arab  camp.  In  a  little  while,  however,  they  were  undeceived 
by  fugitives  from  the  fight,  aghast  with  terror,  and  covered 
with  wounds.  "  Hell  itself,"  cried  they,  "  is  on  the  side  of 
these  infidels  ;  the  earth  casts  forth  warriors  and  steeds  to  aid 
them.  We  have  fought,  not  with  men,  but  devils  !  " 

The  greater  part  of  the  chosen  troops  who  had  sallied,  were 
cut  to  pieces  in  that  scene  of  massacre,  for  they  had  been  con 
founded  by  the  tempest  of  battle  which  suddenly  broke  forth 
around  them.  Count  Tendero  fought  with  desperate  valor, 
and  fell  covered  with  wounds.  His  body  was  found  the  next 
morning,  lying  among  the  slain,  and  transpierced  with  half  a 
score  of  lances.  The  renegado  Magued  cut  off  his  head  and 
tied  it  to  the  tail  of  his  horse,  and  repaired  with  this  savage 


146  LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN. 

trophy  to  the  tent  of  Muza ;  but  the  hostility  of  the  Arab  gen 
eral  was  of  a  less  malignant  kind.  He  ordered  that  the  head 
and  body  should  be  placed  together  upon  a  bier,  and  treated 
with  becoming  reverence. 

In  the  course  of  the  day  a  train  of  priests  and  friars  came 
forth  from  the  city  to  request  permission  to  seek  for  the  body 
of  the  count.  Muza  delivered  it  to  them,  with  many  soldier 
like  encomiums  on  the  valor  of  that  good  cavalier.  The  priests 
covered  it  with  a  pall  of  cloth  of  gold,  and  bore  it  back  in  mel 
ancholy  procession  to  the  city,  where  it  was  received  with  loud 
lamentations. 

The  siege  was  now  pressed  with  great  vigor,  and  repeated 
assaults  were  made,  but  in  vain.  Muza  saw,  at  length,  that  the 
walls  were  too  high  to  be  scaled,  and  the  gates  too  strong  to 
be  burst  open  without  the  aid  of  engines,  and  he  desisted  from 
the  attack  until  machines  for  the  purpose  could  be  constructed. 
The  governor  suspected  from  this  cessation  of  active  warfare 
that  the  enemy  flattered  themselves  to  reduce  the  place  by 
famine;  he  caused,  therefore,  large  baskets  of  bread  to  be 
thrown  from  the  wall,  and  sent  a  messenger  to  Muza  to  in 
form  him  that  if  his  army  should  be  in  want  of  bread,  he 
would  supply  it,  having  sufficient  corn  in  his  granaries  for  a 
ten  years'  siege.* 

The  citizens,  however,  did  not  possess  the  undaunted  spirit 
of  their  governor.  When  they  found  that  the  Moslems  were 
constructing  tremendous  engines  for  the  destruction  of  their 
walls,  they  lost  all  courage,  and,  surrounding  the  governor  in 
a  clamorous  multitude,  compelled  him  to  send  forth  persons 
to  capitulate. 

The  ambassadors  came  into  the  presence  of  Muza  with  awe, 
*  Bleda,  Cronica,  L.  2,  c.  11. 


LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN.  147 

for  they  expected  to  find  a  fierce  and  formidable  warrior  in 
one  who  had  filled  the  land  with  terror ;  but,  to  their  astonish 
ment,  they  beheld  an  ancient  and  venerable  man,  with  white 
hair,  a  snowy  beard,  and  a  pale  emaciated  countenance.  He 
had  passed  the  previous  night  without  sleep,  and  had  been  all 
day  in  the  field ;  he  was  exhausted,  therefore,  by  watchfulness 
and  fatigue,  and  his  garments  were  covered  with  dust. 

"  What  a  devil  of  a  man  is  this,"  murmured  the  ambassadors, 
one  to  another,  "  to  undertake  such  a  siege  when  on  the  verge 
of  the  grave.  Let  us  defend  our  city  the  best  way  we  can ; 
surely  we  can  hold  out  longer  than  the  life  of  this  graybeard." 

They  returned  to  the  city,  therefore,  scoffing  at  an  invader 
who  seemed  fitter  to  lean  on  a  crutch  than  wield  a  lance  ;  and 
the  terms  offered  by  Muza,  which  would  otherwise  have  been 
thought  favorable,  were  scornfully  rejected  by  the  inhabitants. 
A  few  days  put  an  end  to  this  mistaken  confidence.  Abdala- 
sis,  the  son  of  Muza,  arrived  from  Africa  at  the  head  of  his 
reinforcement ;  he  brought  seven  thousand  horsemen  and  a 
host  of  Barbary  archers,  and  made  a  glorious  display  as  he 
marched  into  the  camp.  The  arrival  of  this  youthful  warrior 
was  hailed  with  great  acclamations,  so  much  had  he  won  the 
hearts  of  the  soldiery  by  the  frankness,  the  suavity,  and  gen 
erosity  of  his  conduct.  Immediately  after  his  arrival  a  grand 
assault  was  made  upon  the  city,  and  several  of  the  huge  bat 
tering  engines  being  finished,  they  were  wheeled  up  and  began 
to  thunder  against  the  walls. 

The  unsteady  populace  were  again  seized  with  terror,  and, 
surrounding  their  governor  with  fresh  clamors,  obliged  him  to 
send  forth  ambassadors  a  second  time  to  treat  of  a  surrender. 
When  admitted  to  the  presence  of  Muza,  the  ambassadors  could 
scarcely  believe  their  eyes,  or  that  this  was  the  same  withered, 


148  LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN. 

white-headed  old  man  of  whom  they  had  lately  spoken  with 
scoffing.  His  hair  and  beard  were  tinged  of  a  ruddy  brown  ; 
his  countenance  was  refreshed  by  repose  and  flushed  with  in 
dignation,  and  he  appeared  a  man  in  the  matured  vigor  of  his 
days.  The  ambassadors  were  struck  with  awe.  "  Surely," 
whispered  they,  one  to  the  other,  "  this  must  be  either  a  devil 
or  a  magician,  who  can  thus  make  himself  old  and  young  at 
pleasure ! " 

Muza  received  them  haughtily.  "  Hence,"  said  he,  "  and  tell 
your  people  I  grant  them  the  same  terms  I  have  already  prof 
fered,  provided  the  city  be  instantly  surrendered  ;  but,  by  the 
head  of  Mahomet,  if  there  be  any  further  delay,  not  one 
mother's  son  of  ye  shall  receive  mercy  at  my  hands !  " 

The  deputies  returned  into  the  city  pale  and  dismayed. 
"  Go  forth  !  go  forth  !  "  cried  they,  "  and  accept  whatever  terms 
are  offered ;  of  what  avail  is  it  to  fight  against  men  who  can 
renew  their  youth  at  pleasure  ?  Behold,  we  left  the  leader  of 
the  infidels  an  old  and  feeble  man,  and  to-day  we  find  him 
youthful  and  vigorous."  * 

The  place  was,  therefore,  surrendered  forthwith,  and  Muza 
entered  it  in  triumph.  His  terms  were  merciful.  Those  who 
chose  to  remain  were  protected  in  persons,  possessions,  and 
religion  ;  he  took  the  property  of  those  only  who  abandoned 
the  city  or  had  fallen  in  battle  ;  together  with  all  arms  and 
horses,  and  the  treasures  and  ornaments  of  the  churches. 
Among  these  sacred  spoils  was  found  a  cup  made  of  a  single 
pearl,  which  a  king  of  Spain,  in  ancient  times,  had  brought 
from  the  temple  of  Jerusalem  when  it  was  destroyed  by  Nabu- 

*  Conde,p.  1,  c.  13.  Ambrosio  de  Morales.  N.  B. — In  the  chronicle  of 
Spain,  composed  by  order  of  Alonzo  the  Wise,  this  anecdote  is  given  as  having 
happened  at  the  siege  of  Seville. 


LEGEND   OP    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN.  149 

chodonosor.  This  precious  relic  was  sent  by  Muza  to  the 
caliph,  and  was  placed  in  the  principal  mosque  of  the  city 
of  Damascus.* 

Muza  knew  how  to  esteem  merit  even  in  an  enemy.  "When 
Sacarus,  the  Governor  of  Merida,  appeared  before  him,  he 
lauded  him  greatly  for  the  skill  and  courage  he  had  displayed 
in  the  defence  of  his  city ;  and,  taking  off  his  own  scimitar, 
which  was  of  great  value,  girded  it  upon  him  with  his  own 
hands.  "  Wear  this,"  said  he,  "  as  a  poor  memorial  of  my  ad 
miration  ;  a  soldier  of  such  virtue  and  valor  is  worthy  of  far 
higher  honors." 

He  would  have  engaged  the  governor  in  his  service,  or  have 
persuaded  him  to  remain  in  the  city,  as  an  illustrious  vassal  of 
the  caliph,  but  the  noble-minded  Sacarus  refused  to  bend  to 
the  yoke  of  the  conquerors  ;  nor  could  he  bring  himself  to  re 
side  contentedly  in  his  country,  when  subjected  to  the  domina 
tion  of  the  infidels.  Gathering  together  all  those  who  chose  to 
accompany  him  into  exile,  he  embarked  to  seek  some  country 
where  he  might  live  in  peace  and  in  the  free  exercise  of  his 
religion.  What  shore  these  ocean  pilgrims  landed  upon  has 
never  been  revealed  ;  but  tradition  vaguely  gives  us  to  believe 
that  it  was  some  unknown  island  far  in  the  bosom  of  the 
Atlantic.f 

*  Marmol.  Descrip.  de  Africa,  T.  1,  L.  2. 
t  Abulcasim,  Perdida  de  Espana,  L.  1,  c.  13. 


150  LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN. 


CHAPTER  X. 

EXPEDITION     OF     ABDALASIS     AGAINST      SEVILLE     AND     THE 
"  LAND    OF    TADMIR." 

AFTER  the  capture  of  Merida,  Muza  gave  a  grand  banquet 
to  his  captains  and  distinguished  warriors  in  that  magnificent 
city.  At  this  martial  feast  were  many  Arab  cavaliers  who  had 
been  present  in  various  battles,  and  they  vied  with  each  other 
in  recounting  the  daring  enterprises  in  which  they  had  been 
engaged,  and  the  splendid  triumphs  they  had  witnessed.  While 
they  talked  with  ardor  and  exultation,  Abdalasis,  the  son  of 
Muza,  alone  kept  silence,  and  sat  with  a  dejected  countenance. 
At  length,  when  there  was  a  pause,  he  turned  to  his  father  and 
addressed  him  with  modest  earnestness.  "  My  lord  and  father," 
said  he,  "  I  blush  to  hear  your  warriors  recount  the  toils  and 
dangers  they  have  passed  while  I  have  done  nothing  to  entitle 
me  to  their  companionship.  When  I  return  to  Egypt  and  pre 
sent  myself  before  the  caliph,  he  will  ask  me  of  my  services  in 
Spain  ;  what  battle  I  have  gained  ;  what  town  or  castle  I  have 
taken.  How  shall  I  answer  him  ?  If  you  love  me,  then,  as 
your  son,  give  me  a  command,  intrust  to  me  an  enterprise, 
and  let  me  acquire  a  name  worthy  to  be  mentioned  among 
men." 

The  eyes  of  Muza  kindled  with  joy  at  finding  Abdalasis  thus 
ambitious  of  renown  in  arms.  "  Allah  be  praised  ! "  exclaimed 
he,  "  the  heart  of  my  son  is  in  the  right  place.  It  is  becoming 


LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN.  151 

in  youth  to  look  upward  and  be  .aspiring.  Thy  desire,  Abda- 
lasis,  shall  be  gratified." 

An  opportunity  at  that  very  time  presented  itself  to  prove 
the  prowess  and  discretion  of  the  youth.  During  the  siege  of 
Merida,  the  Christian  troops  which  had  taken  refuge  at  Beja 
had  reinforced  themselves  from  Penaflor,  and  suddenly  return 
ing,  had  presented  themselves  before  the  gates  of  the  city  of 
Seville.*  Certain  of  the  Christian  inhabitants  threw  open  the 
gates  and  admitted  them.  The  troops  rushed  to  the  alcazar, 
took  it  by  surprise,  and  put  many  of  the  Moslem  garrison  to 
the  sword ;  the  residue  made  their  escape,  and  fled  to  the 
Arab  camp  before  Merida,  leaving  Seville  in  the  hands  of  the 
Christians. 

The  veteran  Muza,  now  that  the  siege  of  Merida  was  at  an 
end,  was  meditating  the  recapture  and  punishment  of  Seville 
at  the  very  time  when  Abdalasis  addressed  him.  "  Behold,  my 
son,"  exclaimed  he,  "  an  enterprise  worthy  of  thy  ambition ! 
Take  with  thee  all  the  troops  thou  hast  brought  from  Africa ; 
reduce  the  city  of  Seville  again  to  subjection,  and  plant  thy 
standard  upon  its  alcazar.  But  stop  not  there  :  carry  thy  con 
quering  sword  into  the  southern  parts  of  Spain  ;  thou  wilt  find 
there  a  harvest  of  glory  yet  to  be  reaped." 

Abdalasis  lost  no  time  in  departing  upon  this  enterprise.  He 
took  with  him  Count  Julian,  Magued  el  Rumi,  and  the  Bishop 
Oppas,  that  he  might  benefit  by  their  knowledge  of  the  country. 
When  he  came  in  sight  of  the  fair  city  of  Seville,  seated  like  a 
queen  in  the  midst  of  its  golden  plain,  with  the  Guadalquivir 
flowing  beneath  its  walls,  he  gazed  upon  it  with  the  admiration 
of  a  lover,  and  lamented  in  his  soul  that  he  had  to  visit  it  as  an 
avenger.  His  troops,  however,  regarded  it  with  wrathful  eyes, 

*  Espinosa,  Antq.  y  Grand,  de  Seville,  L.  2,  c.  3. 


152  LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN. 

thinking  only  of  its  rebellion  and  of  the  massacre  of  their  coun 
trymen  in  the  alcazar. 

The  principal  people  of  the  city  had  taken  no  part  in  this 
gallant  but  fruitless  insurrection ;  and  now,  when  they  beheld 
the  army  of  Abdalasis  encamped  upon  the  banks  of  the  Gua 
dalquivir,  would  fain  have  gone  forth  to  make  explanations,  and 
intercede  for  mercy.  The  populace,  however,  forbade  any  one 
to  leave  the  city,  and,  barring  the  gates,  prepared  to  defend 
themselves  to  the  last. 

The  place  was  attacked  with  resistless  fury.  The  gates  were 
soon  burst  open  ;  the  Moslems  rushed  in,  panting  for  revenge. 
They  confined  not  their  slaughter  to  the  soldiery  in  the  alcazar, 
but  roamed  through  every  street,  confounding  the  innocent 
with  the  guilty  in  one  bloody  massacre,  and  it  was  with  the  ut 
most  difficulty  that  Abdalasis  could  at  length  succeed  in  stay 
ing  their  sanguinary  career.* 

The  son  of  Muza  proved  himself  as  mild  in  conquest  as  he 
had  been  intrepid  in  assault.  The  moderation  and  benignity 
of  his  conduct  soothed  the  terrors  of  the  vanquished,  and  his 
wise  precautions  restored  tranquillity.  Having  made  proper 
regulations  for  the  protection  of  the  inhabitants,  he  left  a 
strong  garrison  in  the  place  to  prevent  any  future  insurrec 
tion,  and  then  departed  on  the  further  prosecution  of  his  en 
terprise. 

Wherever  he  went  his  arms  were  victorious ;  and  his  vic 
tories  were  always  characterized  by  the  same  magnanimity.  At 
length  he  arrived  on  the  confines  of  that  beautiful  region,  com 
prising  lofty  and  precipitous  mountains  and  rich  and  delicious 
plains,  afterwards  known  by  the  name  of  the  kingdom  of  Mur- 
cia.  All  this  part  of  the  country  was  defended  by  the  veteran 
*  Conde,  P.  1,  c.  14. 


LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN.  153 

Theodomir,  who,  by  skilful  management,  had  saved  a  remnant 
of  his  forces  after  the  defeat  on  the  banks  of  the  Guadalete. 

Theodomir  was  a  stanch  warrior,  but  a  wary  and  prudent 
man.  He  had  experienced  the  folly  of  opposing  the  Arabs  in 
open  field,  where  their  cavalry  and  armor  gave  them  such  su 
periority;  on  their  approach,  therefore,  he  assembled  all  his 
people  capable  of  bearing  arms,  and  took  possession  of  the 
cliffs  and  mountain  passes.  "  Here,"  said  he,  "  a  simple  goat 
herd,  who  can  hurl  down  rocks  and  stones,  is  as  good  as  a  war 
rior  armed  in  proof."  In  this  way  he  checked  and  harassed 
the  Moslem  army  in  all  its  movements,  —  showering  down  mis 
siles  upon  it  from  overhanging  precipices,  and  waylaying  it  in 
narrow  and  rugged  defiles,  where  a  few  raw  troops  could  make 
stand  against  a  host. 

Theodomir  was  in  a  fair  way  to  baffle  his  foes  and  oblige 
them  to  withdraw  from  his  territories  ;  unfortunately,  however, 
the  wary  veteran  had  two  sons  with  him,  young  men  of  hot  and 
heady  valor,  who  considered  all  this  prudence  of  their  father  as 
savoring  of  cowardice,  and  who  were  anxious  to  try  their  prow 
ess  in  the  open  field.  "  What  glory,"  said  they,  "  is  to  be 
gained  by  destroying  an  enemy  in  this  way,  from  the  covert  of 
rocks  and  thickets  ?  " 

"  You  talk  like  young  men,"  replied  the  veteran.  "  Glory  is 
a  prize  one  may  fight  for  abroad,  but  safety  is  the  object  when 
the  enemy  is  at  the  door." 

One  day,  however,  the  young  men  succeeded  in  drawing 
down  their  father  into  the  plain.  Abdalasis  immediately  seized 
on  the  opportunity  and  threw  himself  between  the  Goths  and 
their  mountain  fastnesses.  Theodomir  saw  too  late  the  danger 
into  which  he  was  betrayed.  "  What  can  our  raw  troops  do," 
said  he,  "  against  those  squadrons  of  horse  that  move  like  cas- 


154  LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN. 

ties  ?  Let  us  make  a  rapid  retreat  to  Orihuela,  and  defend  our 
selves  from  behind  its  walls." 

"  Father,"  said  the  eldest  son,  "  it  is  too  late  to  retreat ;  re 
main  here  with  the  reserve  while  my  brother  and  I  advance. 
Fear  nothing ;  am  not  I  your  son,  and  would  I  not  die  to  de 
fend  you  ?  " 

"  In  truth,"  replied  the  veteran,  "  I  have  my  doubts  whether 
you  are  my  son.  But  if  I  remain  here,  and  you  should  all  be 
killed,  where  then  would  be  my  protection  ?  Come,"  added  he, 
turning  to  the  second  son,  "  I  trust  that  thou  art  virtually  my 
son,  let  us  hasten  to  retreat  before  it  is  too  late." 

"  Father,"  replied  the  youngest,  "  I  have  not  a  doubt  that  I 
am  honestly  and  thoroughly  your  son,  and  as  such  I  honor  you ; 
but  I  owe  duty  likewise  to  my  mother,  and  when  I  sallied  to  the 
war  she  gave  me  her  blessing  as  long  as  I  should  act  with  valor, 
but  her  curse  should  I  prove  craven  and  fly  the  field.  Fear 
nothing,  father ;  I  will  defend  you  while  living,  and  even  after 
you  are  dead.  You  shall  never  fail  of  an  honorable  sepulture 
among  your  kindred." 

"A  pestilence  on  ye  both,"  cried  Theodomir,  "  for  a  brace  of 
misbegotten  madmen !  What  care  I,  think  ye,  where  ye  lay 
my  body  when  I  am  dead  ?  One  day's  existence  in  a  hovel  is 
worth  an  age  of  interment  in  a  marble  sepulchre.  Come,  my 
friends,"  said  he,  turning  to  his  principal  cavaliers,  "  let  us  leave 
these  hot-headed  striplings  and  make  our  retreat ;  if  we  tarry 
any  longer  the  enemy  will  be  upon  us.'' 

Upon  this,  the  cavaliers  and  proud  hidalgoes  drew  up  scorn 
fully  and  tossed  their  heads :  "  What  do  you  see  in  us,"  said 
they,  "  that  you  think  we  will  show  our  backs  to  the  enemy  ? 
Forward !  was  ever  the  good  old  Gothic  watchword,  and  with 
that  will  we  live  and  die  ! " 


LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN.  155 

While  time  was  lost  in  these  disputes,  the  Moslem  army  kept 
advancing,  until  retreat  was  no  longer  practicable.  The  battle 
was  tumultuous  and  bloody.  Theodomir  fought  like  a  lion,  but 
it  was  all  in  vain  :  he  saw  his  two  sons  cut  down,  and  the 
greater  part  of  their  rash  companions,  while  his  raw  mountain 
troops  fled  in  all  directions. 

Seeing  there  was  no  longer  any  hope,  he  seized  the  bridle 
of  a  favorite  page  who  was  near  him,  and  who  was  about  spur 
ring  for  the  mountains.  "  Part  not  from  me,"  said  he,  "  but  do 
thou,  at  least,  attend  to  my  counsel,  my  son  ;  and  of  a  truth  I 
believe  thou  art  my  son,  for  thou  art  the  offspring  of  one  of  my 
handmaids  who  was  kind  unto  me."  And  indeed  the  youth 
marvellously  resembled  him.  Turning  then  the  reins  of  his 
own  steed,  and  giving  him  the  spur,  he  fled  amain  from  the 
field,  followed  by  the  page  ;  nor  did  he  stop  until  he  arrived 
within  the  walls  of  Orihuela. 

Ordering  the  gates  to  be  barred  and  bolted,  he  prepared  to 
receive  the  enemy.  There  were  but  few  men  in  the  city  capa 
ble  of  bearing  arms,  most  of  the  youth  having  fallen  in  the 
field.  He  caused  the  women,  therefore,  to  clothe  themselves 
in  male  attire,  to  put  on  hats  and  helmets,  to  take  long  reeds  in 
their  hands  instead  of  lances,  and  to  cross  their  hair  upon  their 
chins  in  semblance  of  beards.  With  these  troops  he  lined  the 
walls  and  towers. 

It  was  about  the  hour  of  twilight  that  Abdalasis  approached 
with  his  army,  but  he  paused  when  he  saw  the  walls  so  numer 
ously  garrisoned.  Then  Theodomir  took  a  flag  of  truce  in  his 
hand,  and  put  a  herald's  tabard  on  the  page,  and  they  two  sal 
lied  forth  to  capitulate,  and  were  graciously  received  by  Ab 
dalasis. 

"  I  come,"  said  Theodomir,  "  on  the  behalf  of  the  commander 


156  LEGEND    OF   THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN. 

of  this  city  to  treat  for  terms  worthy  of  your  magnanimity  and 
of  his  dignity.  You  perceive  that  the  city  is  capable  of  with 
standing  a  long  siege,  but  he  is  desirous  of  sparing  the  lives  of 
his  soldiers.  Promise  that  the  inhabitants  shall  be  at  liberty 
to  depart  unmolested  with  their  property,  and  the  city  will  be 
delivered  up  to  you  to-morrow  morning  without  a  blow  ;  other 
wise  we  are  prepared  to  fight  until  not  a  man  be  left." 

Abdalasis  was  well  pleased  to  get  so  powerful  a  place  upon 
such  easy  terms,  but  stipulated  that  the  garrison  should  lay 
down  their  arms.  To  this  Theodomir  readily  assented,  with 
the  exception,  however,  of  the  governor  and  his  retinue,  which 
was  granted  out  of  consideration  for  his  dignity.  The  articles 
of  capitulation  were  then  drawn  out,  and  when  Abdalasis  had 
affixed  his  name  and  seal,  Theodomir  took  the  pen  and  wrote 
his  signature.  "  Behold  in  me,"  said  he,  "  the  governor  of  the 
city ! " 

Abdalasis  was  pleased  with  the  hardihood  of  the  commander 
of  the  place  in  thus  venturing  personally  into  his  power,  and 
entertained  the  veteran  with  still  greater  honor.  When  Theo 
domir  returned  to  the  city,  he  made  known  the  capitulation, 
and  charged  the  inhabitants  to  pack  up  their  effects  during  the 
night  and  be  ready  to  sally  forth  in  the  morning. 

At  the  dawn  of  day  the  gates  were  thrown  open,  and  Abda 
lasis  looked  to  see  a  great  force  issuing  forth,  but  to  his  surprise 
beheld  merely  Theodomir  and  his  page  in  battered  armor,  fol 
lowed  by  a  multitude  of  old  men,  women,  and  children. 

Abdalasis  waited  until  the  whole  had  come  forth,  then  turn 
ing  to  Theodomir,  "  Where,"  cried  he,  "  are  the  soldiers  whom 
I  saw  last  evening  lining  the  walls  and  towers  ?  ". 

"  Soldiers  have  I  none,"  replied  the  veteran.  As  to  my  gar 
rison,  behold  it  before  you.  With  these  women  did  I  man  my 
walls,  and  this  my  page  is  my  herald,  guard,  and  retinue." 


LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN.  157 

Upon  this  the  Bishop  Oppas  and  Count  Julian  exclaimed 
that  the  capitulation  was  a  base  fraud  and  ought  not  to  be  com 
plied  with ;  but  Abdalasis  relished  the  stratagem  of  the  old  sol 
dier,  and  ordered  that  the  stipulations  of  the  treaty  should  be 
faithfully  performed.  Nay,  so  high  an  opinion  did  he  conceive 
of  the  subtle  wisdom  of  this  commander  that  he  permitted 
him  to  remain  in  authority  over  the  surrounding  country  on  his 
acknowledging  allegiance  and  engaging  to  pay  tribute  to  the 
caliph  ;  and  all  that  part  of  Spain,  comprising  the  beautiful 
provinces  of  Murcia  and  Valencia,  was  long  after  known  by 
the  Arabic  name  of  its  defender,  and  is  still  recorded  in  Ara 
bian  chronicles  as  "  The  land  of  Tadmir."  * 

Having  succeeded  in  subduing  this  rich  and  fruitful  region, 
and  having  gained  great  renown  for  his  generosity  as  well  as 
valor,  Abdalasis  returned  with  the  chief  part  of  his  army  to  the 
city  of  Seville. 

*  Conde,  p.  1.  Cronica  del  Moro  Rasis.  Cron.  gen.  Espana,  por  Alonzo  el 
Sabio,  p.  3,  c.  1. 


158  LEGEND    OF   THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

MUZA     ARRIVES     AT     TOLEDO. INTERVIEW     BETWEEN     HIM 

AND    TARIC. 

WHEN  Muza  ben  Nosier  had  sent  his  son  Abdalasis  to 
subdue  Seville,  he  departed  for  Toledo  to  call  Taric  to  account 
for  his  disobedience  to  his  orders ;  for,  amidst  all  his  own  suc 
cesses,  the  prosperous  career  of  that  commander  preyed  upon 
his  mind.  What  can  content  the  jealous  and  ambitious  heart? 
As  Muza  passed  through  the  land,  towns  and  cities  submitted 
to  him  without  resistance ;  he  was  lost  in  wonder  at  the  riches 
of  the  country  and  the  noble  monuments  of  art  with  which  it 
was  adorned  ;  when  he  beheld  the  bridges,  constructed  in  an 
cient  times  by  the  Romans,  they  seemed  to  him  the  work,  not 
of  men,  but  of  genii.  Yet  all  these  admirable  objects  only 
made  him  repine  the  more  that  he  had  not  had  the  exclusive 
glory  of  invading  and  subduing  the  land  ;  and  exasperated  him 
the  more  against  Taric,  for  having  apparently  endeavored  to 
monopolize  the  conquest. 

Taric  heard  of  his  approach,  and  came  forth  to  meet  him 
at  Talavera,  accompanied  by  many  of  the  most  distinguished 
companions  of  his  victories,  and  with  a  train  of  horses  and 
mules  laden  with  spoils,  with  which  he  trusted  to  propitiate  the 
favor  of  his  commander.  Their  meeting  took  place  on  the 
banks  of  the  rapid  river  Tietar,  which  rises  in  the  mountains 
of  Placencia  and  throws  itself  into  the  Tagus.  Muza,  in  for- 


LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN.  159 

mer  days,  while  Taric  had  acted  as  his  subordinate  and  in 
defatigable  officer,  had  cherished  and  considered  him  as  a 
second  self,  but  now  that  he  had  started  up  to  be  a  rival,  he 
could  not  conceal  his  jealousy.  When  the  veteran  came  into 
his  presence,  he  regarded  him  for  a  moment  with  a  stern  and 
indignant  aspect.  "  Why  hast  thou  disobeyed  my  orders  ?  " 
said  he.  "  I  commanded  thee  to  await  my  arrival  with  rein 
forcements,  but  thou  hast  rashly  overrun  the  country,  endan 
gering  the  loss  of  our  armies  and  the  ruin  of  our  cause." 

"  I  have  acted,"  replied  Taric,  "  in  such  manner  as  I  thought 
would  best  serve  the  cause  of  Islam,  and  in  so  doing  I  thought 
to  fulfil  the  wishes  of  Muza.  Whatever  I  have  done  has  been 
as  your  servant ;  behold  your  share  as  commander-in-chief  of 
spoils  which  I  have  collected."  So  saying,  he  produced  an  im 
mense  treasure  in  silver  and  gold  and  costly  stuffs,  and  pre 
cious  stones,  and  spread  it  before  Muza. 

The  anger  of  the  Arab  commander  was  still  more  kindled  at 
the  sight  of  this  booty,  for  it  proved  how  splendid  had  been  the 
victories  of  Taric  ;  but  he  restrained  his  wrath  for  the  present, 
and  they  proceeded  together  in  moody  silence  to  Toledo. 
When  he  entered  this  royal  city,  however,  and  ascended  to  the 
ancient  palace  of  the  Gothic  kings,  and  reflected  that  all  this  had 
been  a  scene  of  triumph  to  his  rival,  he  could  no  longer  repress 
his  indignation.  He  demanded  of  Taric  a  strict  account  of  all 
the  riches  he  had  gathered  in  Spain,  even  of  the  presents  he  had 
reserved  for  the  caliph,  and,  above  all,  he  made  him  yield  up  his 
favorite  trophy,  the  talismanic  table  of  Solomon.  When  all 
this  was  done,  he  again  upbraided  him  bitterly  with  his  dis 
obedience  of  orders,  and  with  the  rashness  of  his  conduct. 
"  What  blind  confidence  in  fortune  hast  thou  shown,"  said  he, 
"  in  overrunning  such  a  country  and  assailing  such  powerful 


160  LEGEND    OP    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN. 

cities  with  thy  scanty  force  !  What  madness  to  venture  every 
thing  upon  a  desperate  chance,  when  thou  knewest  I  was  com 
ing  with  a  force  to  make  the  victory  secure.  All  thy  success 
has  been  owing  to  mere  luck,  not  to  judgment  nor  generalship." 

He  then  bestowed  high  praises  upon  the  other  chieftains  for 
their  services  in  the  cause  of  Islam,  but  they  answered  not  a 
word,  and  their  countenances  were  gloomy  and  discontented ; 
for  they  felt  the  injustice  done  to  their  favorite  leader.  As  to 
Taric,  though  his  eye  burned  like  fire,  he  kept  his  passion 
within  bounds.  "  I  have  done  the  best  I  could  to  serve  God 
and  the  caliph,"  said  he,  emphatically  ;  "  my  conscience  acquits 
me,  and  I  trust  my  sovereign  will  do  the  same." 

"  Perhaps  he  may,"  replied  Muza,  bitterly ;  "  but,  in  the  mean 
time,  I  cannot  confide  his  interests  to  a  desperado  who  is  heed 
less  of  orders  and  throws  everything  at  hazard.  Such  a  gene 
ral  is  unworthy  to  be  intrusted  with  the  fate  of  armies." 

So  saying,  he  divested  Taric  of  his  command,  and  gave  it  to 
Magued  the  renegado.  The  gaunt  Taric  still  maintained  an 
air  of  stern  composure.  His  only  words  were,  "  The  caliph 
will  do  me  justice  !  "  Muza  was  so  transported  with  passion  at 
this  laconic  defiance  that  he  ordered  him  to  be  thrown  into 
prison,  and  even  threatened  his  life. 

Upon  this,  Magued  el  Rumi,  though  he  had  risen  by  the  dis 
grace  of  Taric,  had  the  generosity  to  speak  out  warmly  in  his 
favor.  "  Consider,"  said  he,  to  Muza,  "  what  may  be  the  con 
sequences  of  this  severity.  Taric  has  many  friends  in  the 
army ;  his  actions,  too,  have  been  signal  and  illustrious,  and 
entitle  him  to  the  highest  honors  and  rewards,  instead  of  dis 
grace  and  imprisonment." 

The  anger  of  Muza,  however,  was  not  to  be  appeased ;  and 
he  trusted  to  justify  his  measures  by  despatching  missives  to 


LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN.  161 

the  caliph,  complaining  of  the  insubordination  of  Taric,  and 
his  rash  and  headlong  conduct.  The  result  proved  the  wisdom 
of  the  caution  given  by  Magued.  In  the  course  of  a  little 
while  Muza  received  a  humiliating  letter  from  the  caliph,  or 
dering  him  to  restore  Taric  to  the  command  of  the  soldiers 
"  whom  he  had  so  gloriously  conducted  ; "  and  not  to  render 
useless  "  one  of  the  best  swords  in  Islam  !  "  * 

It  is  thus  the  envious  man  brings  humiliation  and  reproach 
upon  himself,  in  endeavoring  to  degrade  a  meritorious  rival. 
When  the  tidings  came  of  the  justice  rendered  by  the  caliph 
to  the  merits  of  the  veteran,  there  was  general  joy  throughout 
the  army,  and  Muza  read  in  the  smiling  countenances  of 
every  one  around  him  a  severe  censure  upon  his  conduct. 
He  concealed,  however,  his  deep  humiliation,  and  affected  to 
obey  the  orders  of  his  sovereign  with  great  alacrity ;  he  re 
leased  Taric  from  prison,  feasted  him  at  his  own  table,  and 
then  publicly  replaced  him  at  the  head  of  his  troops.  The 
army  received  its  favorite  veteran  with  shouts  of  joy,  and  cele 
brated  with  rejoicings  the  reconciliation  of  the  commanders ; 
but  the  shouts  of  the  soldiery  were  abhorrent  to  the  ears  of 
Muza. 

*  Conde,  Part  1,  c.  15. 

8* 


162  LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

MUZA    PROSECUTES    THE    SCHEME    OF     CONQUEST.  SIEGE    OP 

SARAGOSSA.  —  COMPLETE     SUBJUGATION   OF    SPAIN. 

THE  dissensions,  which  for  a  time  had  distracted  the  con 
quering  army,  being  appeased,  and  the  Arabian  generals 
being  apparently  once  more  reconciled,  Muza,  as  commander- 
in-chief,  proceeded  to  complete  the  enterprise  by  subjugat 
ing  the  northern  parts  of  Spain.  The  same  expeditious  mode 
of  conquest  that  had  been  sagaciously  adopted  by  Taric,  was 
still  pursued.  The  troops  were  lightly  armed,  and  freed  from 
every  superfluous  incumbrance.  Each  horseman,  beside  his 
arms,  carried  a  small  sack  of  provisions  ;  a  copper  vessel 
in  which  to  cook  them,  and  a  skin  which  served  him  for  sur- 
coat  and  for  bed.  The  infantry  carried  nothing  but  their 
arms.  To  each  regiment  or  squadron  was  allowed  a  limited 
number  of  sumpter  mules  and  attendants,  —  barely  enough 
to  carry  their  necessary  baggage  and  supplies ;  nothing  was 
permitted  that  could  needlessly  diminish  the  number  of  fight 
ing  men,  delay  their  rapid  movements,  or  consume  their  pro 
visions.  Strict  orders  were  again  issued,  prohibiting,  on  pain 
of  death,  all  plunder  excepting  the  camp  of  an  enemy,  or 
cities  given  up  to  pillage.* 

The  armies  now  took  their  several  lines  of  march.  That 
under  Taric  departed  towards  the  northeast ;  beating  up  the 
*  Conde,  p.  1,  c.  15. 


LEGEND    OP   THE    SUBJUGATION   OF   SPAIN.  163 

country  towards  the  source  of  the  Tagus,  traversing  the 
chain  of  Iberian  or  Arragonian  Mountains,  and  pouring  down 
into  the  plains  and  valleys  watered  by  the  Ebro.  It  was 
wonderful  to  see,  in  so  brief  a  space  of  time,  such  a  vast  and 
difficult  country  penetrated  and  subdued,  and  the  invading 
army,  like  an  inundating  flood,  pouring  its  streams  into  the 
most  remote  recesses. 

While  Taric  was  thus  sweeping  the  country  to  the  north 
east,  Muza  departed  in  an  opposite  direction;  yet  purposing 
to  meet  him,  and  to  join  their  forces  in  the  north.  Bend 
ing  his  course  westwardly,  he  made  a  circuit  behind  the 
mountains,  and  then,  advancing  into  the  open  country,  dis 
played  his  banners  before  Salamanca,  which  surrendered 
without  resistance.  From  hence  he  continued  on  towards 
Astorga,  receiving  the  terrified  submission  of  the  land ;  then 
turning  up  the  valley  of  the  Douro,  he  ascended  the  course 
of  that  famous  river  towards  the  east ;  crossed  the  Sierra 
de  Moncayo,  and,  arriving  on  the  banks  of  the  Ebro,  marched 
down  along  its  stream,  until  he  approached  the  strong  city 
of  Saragossa,  the  citadel  of  all  that  part  of  Spain.  In  this 
place  had  taken  refuge  many  of  the  most  valiant  of  the 
Gothic  warriors,  —  the  remnants  of  armies,  and  fugitives  from 
conquered  cities.  It  was  one  of  the  last  rallying-points  of 
the  land.  When  Muza  arrived,  Taric  had  already  been  for 
some  time  before  the  place,  laying  close  siege ;  the  inhabi 
tants  were  pressed  by  famine,  and  had  suffered  great  losses  in 
repeated  combats ;  but  there  was  a  spirit  and  obstinacy  in 
their  resistance  surpassing  anything  that  had  yet  been  wit 
nessed  by  the  invaders. 

Muza  now  took  command  of  the  siege,  and  ordered  a 
general  assault  upon  the  walls.  The  Moslems  planted  their 


164  LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN. 

scaling-ladders,  and  mounted  with  their  accustomed  intre 
pidity,  but  were  vigorously  resisted ;  nor  could  all  their  efforts 
obtain  them  a  footing  upon  the  battlements.  While  they 
were  thus  assailing  the  walls,  Count  Julian  ordered  a  heap  of 
combustibles  to  be  placed  against  one  of  the  gates,  and  set 
on  fire.  The  inhabitants  attempted  in  vain  from  the  barbican 
to  extinguish  the  flames.  They  burnt  so  fiercely,  that  in  a 
little  while  the  gate  fell  from  the  hinges.  Count  Julian  gal 
loped  into  the  city,  mounted  upon  a  powerful  charger,  him 
self  and  his  steed  all  covered  with  mail.  He  was  followed 
by  three  hundred  of  his  partisans,  and  supported  by  Magued 
the  renegado,  with  a  troop  of  horse. 

The  inhabitants  disputed  every  street  and  public  square; 
they  made  barriers  of  dead  bodies,  fighting  behind  these 
ramparts  of  their  slaughtered  countrymen.  Every  window 
and  roof  was  filled  with  combatants  ;  the  very  women  and 
children  joined  in  the  desperate  fight,  throwing  down  stones 
and  missiles  of  all  kinds,  and  scalding  water  upon  the 
enemy. 

The  battle  raged  until  the  hour  of  vespers,  when  the  prin 
cipal  inhabitants  held  a  parley,  and  capitulated  for  a  surren 
der.  Muza  had  been  incensed  at  their  obstinate  resistance, 
which  had  cost  the  lives  of  so  many  of  his  soldiers  ;  he  knew, 
also,  that  in  the  city  were  collected  the  riches  of  many  of  the 
towns  of  eastern  Spain.  He  demanded,  therefore,  beside 
the  usual  terms,  a  heavy  sum  to  be  paid  down  by  the  citizens, 
called  the  contribution  of  blood ;  as  by  this  they  redeemed 
themselves  from  the  edge  of  the  sword.  The  people  were 
obliged  to  comply.  They  collected  all  the  jewels  of  their 
richest  families,  and  all  the  ornaments  of  their  temples,  and 
laid  them  at  the  feet  of  Muza;  and  placed  in  his  power 


LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN.  165 

many  of  their  noblest  youths  as  hostages.  A  strong  garri 
son  was  then  appointed,  and  thus  the  fierce  city  of  Saragossa 
was  subdued  to  the  yoke  of  the  conqueror. 

The  Arab  generals  pursued  their  conquests  even  to  the  foot 
of  the  Pyrenees ;  Taric  then  descended  along  the  course  of 
the  Ebro,  and  continued  along  the  Mediterranean  coast ;  sub 
duing  the  famous  city  of  Valencia,  with  its  rich  and  beauti 
ful  domains,  and  carrying  the  success  of  his  arms  even  to 
Denia. 

Muza  undertook  with  his  host  a  wider  range  of  conquest. 
He  overcame  the  cities  of  Barcelona,  Gerona,  and  others 
that  lay  on  the  skirts  of  the  eastern  mountains  ;  then  cross 
ing  into  the  land  of  the  Franks,  he  captured  the  city  of  Nar- 
bonne,  —  in  a  temple  of  which  he  found  seven  equestrian 
images  of  silver,  which  he  brought  off  as  trophies  of  his 
victory.  *  Returning  into  Spain,  he  scoured  its  northern 
regions  along  Gallicia  and  the  Asturias ;  passed  triumphantly 
through  Lusitania,  and  arrived  once  more  in  Andalusia,  cov 
ered  with  laurels  and  enriched  with  immense  spoils. 

Thus  was  completed  the  subjugation  of  unhappy  Spain. 
All  its  cities,  and  fortresses,  and  strongholds,  were  in  the 
hands  of  the  Saracens,  excepting  some  of  the  wild  moun 
tain  tracts  that  bordered  the  Atlantic  and  extended  towards 
the  north.  Here,  then,  the  story  of  the  conquest  might  con 
clude,  but  that  the  indefatigable  chronicler,  Fray  Antonio 
Agapida,  goes  on  to  record  the  fate  of  those  persons  who 
were  most  renowned  in  the  enterprise.  We  shall  follow  his 
steps,  and  avail  ourselves  of  his  information,  laboriously  col 
lected  from  various  sources ;  and,  truly,  the  story  of  each 
of  the  actors  in  this  great  historical  drama  bears  with  it  its 
striking  moral,  and  is  full  of  admonition  and  instruction. 
*  Conde,  p.  1,  c.  16. 


166  LEGEND    OF   THE    SUBJUGATION    OP    SPAIN. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

FEUD  BETWEEN  THE  ARAB  GENERALS. THEY  ARE  SUM 
MONED  TO  APPEAR  BEFORE  THE  CALIPH  AT  DAMASCUS. — 
RECEPTION  OF  TARIC. 

THE  heart  of  Muza  ben  Nosier  was  now  lifted  up,  for  he 
considered  his  glory  complete.  He  held  a  sway  that  might 
have  gratified  the  ambition  of  the  proudest  sovereign,  for  all 
western  Africa  and  the  newly  acquired  peninsula  of  Spain 
were  obedient  to  his  rule ;  and  he  was  renowned  throughout 
all  the  lands  of  Islam  as  the  great  conqueror  of  the  West.  But 
sudden  humiliation  awaited  him  in  the  very  moment  of  his 
highest  triumph. 

Notwithstanding  the  outward  reconciliation  of  Muza  and 
Taric,  a  deep  and  implacable  hostility  continued  to  exist  be 
tween  them ;  and  each  had  busy  partisans  who  distracted  the 
armies  by  their  feuds.  Letters  were  incessantly  dispatched 
to  Damascus  by  either  party,  exalting  the  merits  of  their  own 
leader  and  decrying  his  rival.  Taric  was  represented  as  rash, 
arbitrary,  and  prodigal,  and  as  injuring  the  discipline  of  the 
army,  by  sometimes  treating  it  with  extreme  rigor  and  at 
other  times  giving  way  to  licentiousness  and  profusion.  Muza 
was  lauded  as  prudent,  sagacious,  dignified,  and  systematic  in 
his  dealings.  The  friends  of  Taric,  on  the  other  hand,  repre 
sented  him  as  brave,  generous,  and  high-minded ;  scrupulous 
in  reserving  to  his  sovereign  his  rightful  share  of  the  spoils, 


LEGEND    OF   THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN.  167 

but  distributing  the  rest  bounteously  among  his  soldiers,  and 
thus  increasing  their  alacrity  in  the  service.  "  Muza,  on  the 
contrary,"  said  they,  "  is  grasping  and  insatiable  ;  he  levies  in 
tolerable  contributions  and  collects  immense  treasure,  but 
sweeps  it  all  into  his  own  coffers." 

The  caliph  was  at  length  wearied  out  by  these  complaints, 
and  feared  that  the  safety  of  the  cause  might  be  endangered 
by  the  dissensions  of  the  rival  generals.  He  sent  letters,  there 
fore,  ordering  them  to  leave  suitable  persons  in  charge  of  their 
several  commands,  and  appear,  forthwith,  before  him  at  Da 
mascus. 

Such  was  the  greeting  from  his  sovereign  that  awaited  Muza 
on  his  return  from  the  conquest  of  northern  Spain.  It  was  a 
grievous  blow  to  a  man  of  his  pride  and  ambition  ;  but  he  pre 
pared  instantly  to  obey.  He  returned  to  Cordova,  collecting 
by  the  way  all  the  treasures  he  had  deposited  in  various  places. 
At  that  city  he  called  a  meeting  of  his  principal  officers,  and  of 
the  leaders  of  the  faction  of  apostate  Christians,  and  made 
them  all  do  homage  to  his  son  Abdalasis,  as  emir  or  governor 
of  Spain.  He  gave  this  favorite  son  much  sage  advice  for  the 
regulation  of  his  conduct,  and  left  with  him  his  nephew,  Ayub, 
a  man  greatly  honored  by  the  Moslems  for  his  wisdom  and 
discretion  ;  exhorting  Abdalasis  to  consult  him  on  all  occa 
sions,  and  consider  him  as  his  bosom  counsellor.  He  made 
a  parting  address  to  his  adherents,  full  of  cheerful  confidence  ; 
assuring  them  that  he  would  soon  return,  loaded  with  new 
favors  and  honors  by  his  sovereign,  and  enabled  to  reward 
them  all  for  their  faithful  services. 

When  Muza  sallied  forth  from  Cordova,  to  repair  to  Damas 
cus,  his  cavalgada  appeared  like  the  sumptuous  pageant  of  some 
Oriental  potentate  ;  for  he  had  numerous  guards  and  attendants 


168  LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN. 

splendidly  armed  and  arrayed,  together  with  four  hundred 
hostages,  who  were  youthful  cavaliers  of  the  noblest  families 
of  the  Goths,  and  a  great  number  of  captives  of  both  sexes, 
chosen  for  their  beauty,  and  intended  as  presents  for  the 
caliph.  Then  there  was  a  vast  train  of  beasts  of  burden, 
laden  with  the  plunder  of  Spain ;  for  he  took  with  him  all  the 
wealth  he  had  collected  in  his  conquests,  and  all  the  share 
that  had  been  set  apart  for  his  sovereign.  With  this  display 
of  trophies  and  spoils,  showing  the  magnificence  of  the  land 
he  had  conquered,  he  looked  forward  with  confidence  to  si 
lence  the  calumnies  of  his  foes. 

As  he  traversed  the  valley  of  the  Guadalquivir  he  often 
turned  and  looked  back  wistfully  upon  Cordova ;  and,  at  the 
distance  of  a  league,  when  about  to  lose  sight  of  it,  he  checked 
his  steed  upon  the  summit  of  a  hill,  and  gazed  for  a  long  time 
upon  its  palaces  and  towers.  "  O  Cordova  !  "  exclaimed  he, 
"great  and  glorious  art  thou  among  cities,  and  abundant  in 
all  delights.  With  grief  and  sorrow  do  I  part  from  thee,  for 
sure  I  am  it  would  give  me  length  of  days  to  abide  within  thy 
pleasant  walls  !  "  When  he  had  uttered  these  words,  say  the 
Arabian  chronicles,  he  resumed  his  wayfaring ;  but  his  eyes 
were  bent  upon  the  ground,  and  frequent  sighs  bespoke  the 
heaviness  of  his  heart 

Embarking  at  Cadiz,  he  passed  over  to  Africa  with  all  his 
people  and  effects,  to  regulate  his  government  in  that  country. 
He  divided  the  command  between  his  sons,  Abdelola  and 
Meruan,  leaving  the  former  in  Tangier  and  the  latter  in  Cair- 
van.  Thus  having  secured,  as  he  thought,  the  power  and  pros 
perity  of  his  family,  by  placing  all  his  sons  as  his  lieutenants 
in  the  country  he  had  conquered,  he  departed  for  Syria,  bear 
ing  with  him  the  sumptuous  spoils  of  the  West 


LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OP    SPAIN.  169 

While  Muza  was  thus  disposing  of  his  commands,  and  mov 
ing  cumbrously  under  the  weight  of  wealth,  the  veteran  Taric 
was  more  speedy  and  alert  in  obeying  the  summons  of  the 
caliph.  He  knew  the  importance,  where  complaints  were  to 
be  heard,  of  being  first  in  presence  of  the  judge  ;  besides,  he 
was  ever  ready  to  march  at  a  moment's  warning,  and  had  noth 
ing  to  impede  him  in  his  movements.  The  spoils  he  had  made 
in  his  conquests  had  either  been  shared  among  his  soldiers,  or 
yielded  up  to  Muza,  or  squandered  away  with  open-handed 
profusion.  He.  appeared  in  Syria  with  a  small  train  of  war 
worn  followers,  and  had  no  other  trophies  to  show  than  his 
battered  armor  and  a  body  seamed  with  scars.  He  was  re 
ceived,  however,  with  rapture  by  the  multitude,  who  crowded 
to  behold  one  of  those  conquerors  of  the  West,  whose  wonder 
ful  achievements  were  the  theme  of  every  tongue.  They  were 
charmed  with  his  gaunt  and  martial  air,  his  hard,  sunburnt 
features,  and  his  scathed  eye.  "  All  hail,"  cried  they,  "  to  the 
sword  of  Islam,  the  terror  of  the  unbelievers !  Behold  the 
true  model  of  a  warrior,  who  despises  gain  and  seeks  for  naught 
but  glory ! " 

Taric  was  graciously  received  by  the  caliph,  who  asked 
tidings  of  his  victories.  He  gave  a  soldier-like  account  of 
his  actions,  —  frank  and  full,  without  any  feigned  modesty,  yet 
without  vainglory.  "  Commander  of  the  Faithful,"  said  he, 
"  I  bring  thee  no  silver,  nor  gold,  nor  precious  stones,  nor 
captives,  for  what  spoils  I  did  not  share  with  my  soldiers  I 
gave  up  to  Muza  as  my  commander.  How  I  have  conducted 
myself  the  honorable  warriors  of  thy  host  will  tell  thee  ;  nay, 
let  our  enemies,  the  Christians,  be  asked  if  I  have  ever  shown 
myself  cowardly,  or  cruel,  or  rapacious." 

"  What  kind  of  people  are  these  Christians  ? "  demanded 
the  caliph. 


170  LEGEND    OF   THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN. 

"  The  Spaniards,"  replied  Taric,  "  are  lions  in  their  castles, 
eagles  in  their  saddles,  but  mere  women  when  on  foot.  When 
vanquished  they  escape  like  goats  to  the  mountains,  for  they 
need  not  see  the  ground  they  tread  on." 

"  And  tell  me  of  the  Moors  of  Barbary." 

"  They  are  like  Arabs  in  the  fierceness  and  dexterity  of  their 
attacks  and  in  their  knowledge  of  the  stratagems  of  war ; 
they  resemble  them,  too,  in  feature,  in  fortitude,  and  hospital 
ity  ;  but  they  are  the  most  perfidious  people  upon  earth,  and 
never  regard  promise  or  plighted  faith." 

"  And  the  people  of  Afranc  ;  what  sayest  thou  of  them  ?  " 

"  They  are  infinite  in  number,  rapid  in  the  onset,  fierce  in 
battle,  but  confused  and  headlong  in  flight." 

"  And  how  fared  it  with  thee  among  these  people  ?  Did 
they  sometimes  vanquish  thee  ?  " 

"  Never,  by  Allah ! "  cried  Taric,  with  honest  warmth ;  "  never 
did  a  banner  of  mine  fly  the  field.  Though  the  enemy  were 
two  to  one,  my  Moslems  never  shunned  the  combat !  " 

The  caliph  was  well  pleased  with  the  martial  bluntness  of 
the  veteran,  and  showed  him  great  honor ;  and  wherever  Taric 
appeared  he  was  the  idol  of  the  populace. 


LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN.  171 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

MUZA     ARRIVES    AT    DAMASCUS. HIS     INTERVIEW     WITH     THE 

CALIPH.  —  THE    TABLE     OF     SOLOMON.  A    RIGOROUS    SEN 
TENCE. 

SHORTLY  after  the  arrival*  of  Taric  el  Tuerto  at  Damas 
cus,  the  caliph  fell  dangerously  ill,  insomuch  that  his  life 
was  despaired  of.  During  his  illness,  tidings  were  brought 
that  Muza  ben  Nosier  had  entered  Syria  with  a  vast  caval 
cade,  bearing  all  the  riches  and  trophies  gained  in  the  west 
ern  conquests.  Now  Suleiman  ben  Abdelmelec,  brother  to 
the  caliph,  was  successor  to  the  throne,  and  he  saw  that  his 
brother  had  not  long  to  live,  and  wished  to  grace  the  com 
mencement  of  his  reign  by  this  triumphant  display  of  the 
spoils  of  Christendom ;  he  sent  messengers,  therefore,  to 
Muza,  saying,  "  The  caliph  is  ill  and  cannot  receive  thee  at 
present;  I  pray  thee  tarry  on  the  road  until  his  recovery." 
Muza,  however,  paid  no  attention  to  the  messages  of  Sulei 
man,  but  rather  hastened  his  march  to  arrive  before  the  death 
of  the  caliph.  And  Suleiman  treasured  up  his  conduct  in 
his  heart. 

Muza  entered  the  city  in  a  kind  of  triumph,  with  a  long 
train  of  horses  and  mules  and  camels  laden  with  treasure, 
and  with  the  four  hundred  sons  of  Gothic  nobles  as  hostages, 
each  decorated  with  a  diadem  and  a  girdle  of  gold ;  and  with 
one  hundred  Christian  damsels,  whose  beauty  dazzled  all  be- 


172  LEGEND    OF   THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN. 

holders.  As  he  passed  through  the  streets  he  ordered  purses 
of  gold  to  be  thrown  among  the  populace,  who  rent  the  air 
with  acclamations.  "  Behold,"  cried  they,  "  the  veritable  con 
queror  of  the  unbelievers  !  Behold  the  true  model  of  a  con 
queror,  who  brings  home  wealth  to  his  country  !  "  And  they 
heaped  benedictions  on  the  head  of  Muza. 

The  Caliph  Waled  Almanzor  rose  from  his  couch  of  illness 
to  receive  the  emir,  who,  when  he  repaired  to  the  palace, 
filled  one  of  its  great  courts  with  treasures  of  all  kinds ;  the 
halls,  too,  were  thronged  with  the  youthful  hostages,  mag 
nificently  attired,  and  with  Christian  damsels,  lovely  as  the 
houries  of  paradise.  When  the  caliph  demanded  an  account 
of  the  conquest  of  Spain,  he  gave  it  with  great  eloquence ; 
but,  in  describing  the  various  victories,  he  made  no  mention 
of  the  name  of  Taric,  but  spoke  as  if  everything  had  been 
effected  by  himself.  He  then  presented  the  spoils  of  the 
Christians  as  if  they  had  been  all  taken  by  his  own  hands ; 
and  when  he  delivered  to  the  caliph  the  miraculous  table 
of  Solomon,  he  dwelt  with  animation  on  the  virtues  of  that 
inestimable  talisman. 

Upon  this,  Taric,  who  was  present,  could  no  longer  hold 
his  peace.  "  Commander  of  the  Faithful,"  said  he,  "  examine 
this  precious  table,  if  any  part  be  wanting."  The  caliph  ex 
amined  the  table,  which  was  composed  of  a  single  emerald, 
and  he  found  that  one  foot  was  supplied  by  a  foot  of  gold. 
The  caliph  turned  to  Muza  and  said,  "  Where  is  the  other 
foot  of  the  table  ?  "  Muza  answered,  "  I  know  not ;  one  foot 
was  wanting  when  it  came  into  my  hands."  Upon  this,  Taric 
drew  from  beneath  his  robe  a  foot  of  emerald  of  like  work 
manship  to  the  others,  and  fitting  exactly  to  the  table.  "  Be 
hold,  O  Commander  of  the  Faithful ! "  cried  he,  "  a  proof  of 


LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN.  173 

the  real  finder  of  the  table  ;  and  so  is  it  with  the  greater  part 
of  the  spoils  exhibited  by  Muza  as  trophies  of  his  achieve 
ments.  It  was  I  who  gained  them,  and  who  captured  the 
cities  in  which  they  were  found.  If  you  want  proof,  demand 
of  these  Christian  cavaliers  here  present,  most  of  whom  I 
captured  ;  demand  of  those  Moslem  warriors  who  aided  me 
in  my  battles." 

Muza  was  confounded  for  a  moment,  but  attempted  to  vin 
dicate  himself.  "  I  spake,"  said  he,  "  as  the  chief  of  your 
armies,  under  whose  orders  and  banners  this  conquest  was 
achieved.  The  actions  of  the  soldier  are  the  actions  of  the 
commander.  In  a  great  victory  it  is  not  supposed  that  the 
chief  of  the  army  takes  all  the  captives,  or  kills  all  the  slain, 
or  gathers  all  the  booty,  though  all  are  enumerated  in  the 
records  of  his  triumph."  The  caliph,  however,  was  wroth, 
and  heeded  not  his  words.  "  You  have  vaunted  your  own 
deserts,"  said  he,  "  and  have  forgotten  the  deserts  of  others  ; 
nay,  you  have  sought  to  debase  another  who  has  loyally  served 
his  sovereign  ;  the  reward  of  your  envy  and  covetousness 
be  upon  your  head ! "  So  saying,  he  bestowed  a  great  part 
of  the  spoils  upon  Taric  and  the  other  chiefs,  but  gave  noth 
ing  to  Muza ;  and  the  veteran  retired  amidst  the  sneers  and 
murmurs  of  those  present. 

In  a  few  days  the  Caliph  Waled  died,  and  was  succeeded 
by  his  brother  Suleiman.  The  new  sovereign  cherished 
deep  resentment  against  Muza  for  having  presented  himself 
at  court  contrary  to  his  command,  and  he  listened  readily 
to  the  calumnies  of  his  enemies,  —  for  Muza  had  been  too 
illustrious  in  his  deeds  not  to  have  many  enemies.  All  now 
took  courage  when  they  found  he  was  out  of  favor,  and  they 
heaped  slanders  on  his  head;  charging  him  with  embezzling 


174  LEGEND    OP    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN. 

much  of  the  share  of  the  booty  belonging  to  the  sovereign. 
The  new  caliph  lent  a  willing  ear  to  the  accusation,  and  com 
manded  him  to  render  up  all  that  he  had  pillaged  from  Spain. 
The  loss  of  his  riches  might  have  been  borne  with  fortitude 
by  Muza,  but  the  stigma  upon  his  fame  filled  his  heart  with 
bitterness.  "I  have  been  a  faithful  servant  to  the  throne 
from  my  youth  upwards,"  said  he,  "  and  now  am  I  degraded 
in  my  old  age.  I  care  not  for  wealth,  I  care  not  for  life,  but 
let  me  not  be  deprived  of  that  honor  which  God  has  bestowed 
upon  me ! " 

The  caliph  was  still  more  exasperated  at  his  repining,  and 
stripped  him  of  his  commands,  confiscated  his  effects,  fined 
him  two  hundred  thousand  pesants  of  gold,  and  ordered  that 
he  should  be  scourged  and  exposed  to  the  noontide  sun,  and 
afterwards  thrown  into  prison.*  The  populace,  also,  reviled 
and  scoffed  at  him  in  his  misery,  and  as  they  beheld  him  led 
forth  to  the  public  gaze,  and  fainting  in  the  sun,  they  pointed 
at  him  with  derision  and  exclaimed,  — "  Behold  the  envious 
man  and  the  impostor ;  this  is  he  who  pretended  to  have  con 
quered  the  land  of  the  unbelievers  !  " 

*  Conde,  p.  1,  c.  17. 


LEGEND    OF   THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN.  175 


CHAPTER  XV. 

CONDUCT    OF   ABDALASIS    AS    EMIR   OF    SPAIN. 

WHILE  these  events  were  happening  in  Syria,  the  youth 
ful  Abdalasis,  the  son  of  Muza,  remained  as  emir  or  governor 
of  Spain.  He  was  of  a  generous*  and  benignant  disposition, 
but  he  was  open  and  confiding,  and  easily  led  away  by  the 
opinions  of  those  he  loved.  Fortunately  his  father  had  left 
with  him,  as  a  bosom  counsellor,  the  discreet  Ayub,  the 
nephew  of  Muza ;  aided  by  his  advice,  he  for  some  time 
administered  the  public  affairs  prudently  and  prosperously. 

Not  long  after  the  departure  of  his  father,  he  received  a 
letter  from  him,  written  while  on  his  journey  to  Syria ;  it 
was  to  the  following  purport :  — 

"  Beloved  son ;  honor  of  thy  lineage ;  Allah  guard  thee 
from  all  harm  and  peril !  Listen  to  the  words  of  thy  father. 
Avoid  all  treachery  though  it  should  promise  great  advantage, 
and  trust  not  in  him  who  counsels  it,  even  though  he  should 
be  a  brother.  The  company  of  traitors  put  far  from  thee  ; 
for  how  canst  thou  be  certain  that  he  who  has  proved  false 
to  others  will  prove  true  to  thee  ?  Beware,  O  my  son,  of  the 
seductions  of  love.  It  is  an  idle  passion  which  enfeebles  the 
heart  and  blinds  the  judgment ;  it  renders  the  mighty  weak, 
and  makes  slaves  of  princes.  If  thou  shouldst  discover  any 
foible  of  a  vicious  kind  springing  up  in  thy  nature,  pluck  it 
forth,  whatever  pang  it  cost  thee.  Every  error,  while  new. 


176  LEGEND    OF   THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN. 

may  easily  be  weeded  out,  but  if  suffered  to  take  root  it  flour 
ishes  and  bears  seed,  and  produces  fruit  an  hundred-fold. 
Follow  these  counsels,  O  son  of  my  affections,  and  thou  shalt 
live  secure." 

Abdalasis  meditated  upon  this  letter,  for  some  part  of  it 
seemed  to  contain  a  mystery  which  he  could  not  comprehend. 
He  called  to  him  his  cousin  and  counsellor,  the  discreet  Ayub. 
"  What  means  my  father,"  said  he,  "  in  cautioning  me  against 
treachery  and  treason  ?  Does  he  think  my  nature  so  base  that 
it  could  descend  to  such  means  ?  " 

Ayub  read  the  letter  attentively.  "  Thy  father,"  said  he, 
"  would  put  thee  on  thy  guard  against  the  traitors  Julian  and 
Oppas,  and  those  of  their  party  who  surround  thee.  What 
love  canst  thou  expect  from  men  who  have  been  unnatural 
to  their  kindred,  and  what  loyalty  from  wretches  who  have  be 
trayed  their  country  ?  " 

Abdalasis  was  satisfied  with  the  interpretation,  and  he  acted 
accordingly.  He  had  long  loathed  all  communion  with  these 
men,  for  there  is  nothing  which  the  open,  ingenuous  nature  so 
much  abhors  as  duplicity  and  treason.  Policy,  too,  no  longer 
required  their  agency ;  they  had  rendered  their  infamous  ser 
vice,  and  had  no  longer  a  country  to  betray ;  but  they  might 
turn  and  betray  their  employers.  Abdalasis,  therefore,  re 
moved  them  to  a  distance  from  his  court,  and  placed  them  in 
situations  where  they  could  do  no  harm,  and  he  warned  his 
commanders  from  being  in  any  wise  influenced  by  their  coun 
sels  or  aided  by  their  arms. 

He  now  confided  entirely  in  his  Arabian  troops,  and  in  the 
Moorish  squadrons  from  Africa,  and  with  their  aid  he  com 
pleted  the  conquest  of  Lusitania  to  the  ultimate  parts  of  the 


LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN.  177 

Algarbe,  or  west,  even  to  the  shores  of  the  great  Ocean  sea.* 
From  hence  he  sent  his  generals  to  overrun  all  those  vast 
and  rugged  sierras,  which  rise  like  ramparts  along  the  ocean 
borders  of  the  peninsula ;  and  they  carried  the  standard  of 
Islam  in  triumph  even  to  the  Mountains  of  Biscay,  collecting 
all  manner  of  precious  spoil. 

"  It  is  not  enough,  O  Abdalasis,"  said  Ayub,  "  that  we  con 
quer  and  rule  this  country  with  the  sword  ;  if  we  wish  our 
dominion  to  be  secure,  we  must  cultivate  the  arts  of  peace,  and 
study  to  secure  the  confidence  and  promote  the  welfare  of  the 
people  we  have  conquered."  Abdalasis  relished  counsel  which 
accorded  so  well  with  his  own  beneficent  nature.  He  en 
deavored,  therefore,  to  allay  the  ferment  and  confusion  of  the 
conquest ;  forbade,  under  rigorous  punishment,  all  wanton  spoil 
or  oppression,  and  protected  the  native  inhabitants  in  the  en 
joyment  and  cultivation  of  their  lands,  and  the  pursuit  of  all 
useful  occupations.  By  the  advice  of  Ayub,  also,  he  encour 
aged  great  numbers  of  industrious  Moors  and  Arabs  to  emi 
grate  from  Africa,  and  gave  them  houses  and  lands ;  thus 
introducing  a  peaceful  and  Mahometan  population  in  the  con 
quered  provinces. 

The  good  effect  of  the  counsels  of  Ayub  were  soon  apparent. 
Instead  of  a  sudden  but  transient  influx  of  wealth,  made  by  the 
ruin  of  the  land,  which  left  the  country  desolate,  a  regular  and 
permanent  revenue  sprang  up,  produced  by  reviving  prosperity, 
and  gathered  without  violence.  Abdalasis  ordered  it  to  be 
faithfully  collected,  and  deposited  in  coffers  by  public  officers 
appointed  in  each  province  for  the  purpose  ;  and  the  whole 

*  Algarbe,  or  Algarbia,  in  Arabic  signifies  the  west,  as  Axarkia  is  the  east, 
Algufia  the  north,  and  Aquibla  the  south.  This  will  serve  to  explain  some  of 
the  geographical  names  on  the  peninsula  which  are  of  Arabian  origin. 


178  LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN. 

was  sent  by  ten  deputies  to  Damascus  to  be  laid  at  the  feet  of 
the  caliph ;  not  as  the  spoils  of  a  vanquished  country,  but  as 
the  peaceful  trophies  of  a  wisely  administered  government. 

The  common  herd  of  warlike  adventurers,  the  mere  men  of 
the  sword,  who  had  thronged  to  Spain  for  the  purpose  of 
ravage  and  rapine,  were  disappointed  at  being  thus  checked  in 
their  career,  and  at  seeing  the  reign  of  terror  and  violence 
drawing  to  a  close.  What  manner  of  leader  is  this,  said  they, 
who  forbids  us  to  make  spoil  of  the  enemies  of  Islam,  and  to 
enjoy  the  land  we  have  wrested  from  the  unbelievers  ?  The 
partisans  of  Julian,  also,  whispered  their  calumnies.  "  Behold," 
said  they,  "  with  what  kindness  he  treats  the  enemies  of  your 
faith ;  all  the  Christians  who  have  borne  arms  against  you,  and 
withstood  your  entrance  into  the  land,  are  favored  and  pro 
tected  ;  but  it  is  enough  for  a  Christian  to  have  befriended  the 
cause  of  the  Moslems  to  be  singled  out  by  Abdalasis  for  per 
secution,  and  to  be  driven  with  scorn  from  his  presence." 

These  insinuations  fermented  the  discontent  of  the  turbulent 
and  rapacious  among  the  Moslems,  but  all  the  friends  of  peace 
and  order  and  good  government  applauded  the  moderation  of 
the  youthful  emir. 


LEGEND    OF   THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN.  179 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

LOVES    OF   ABDALASIS    AND    EXILONA. 

ABDALASIS  had  fixed  his  seat  of  government  at  Seville,  as 
permitting  easy  and  frequent  communications  with  the  coast  of 
Africa.  His  palace  was  of  noble  architecture,  with  delightful 
gardens  extending  to  the  banks  of  the  Guadalquivir.  In  a 
part  of  this  palace  resided  many  of  the  most  beautiful  Christian 
females,  who  were  detained  as  captives,  or  rather  hostages,  to 
insure  the  tranquillity  of  the  country.  Those  who  were  of  noble 
rank  were  entertained  in  luxury  and  magnificence ;  slaves  were 
appointed  to  attend  upon  them,  and  they  were  arrayed  in  the 
richest  apparel  and  decorated  with  the  most  precious  jewels. 
Those  of  tender  age  were  taught  all  graceful  accomplishments ; 
and  even  where  tasks  were  imposed,  they  were  of  the  most 
elegant  and  agreeable  kind.  They  embroidered,  they  sang, 
they  danced,  and  passed  their  times  in  pleasing  revelry.  Many 
were  lulled  by  this  easy  and  voluptuous  existence  ;  the  scenes 
of  horror  through  which  they  had  passed  were  gradually  effaced 
from  their  minds,  and  a  desire  was  often  awakened  of  render 
ing  themselves  pleasing  in  the  eyes  of  their  conquerors. 

After  his  return  from  his  campaign  in  Lusitania,  and  during 
the  intervals  of  public  duty,  Abdalasis  solaced  himself  in  the 
repose  of  this  palace,  and  in  the  society  of  these  Christian  cap 
tives.  He  remarked  one  among  them  who  ever  sat  apart, 
and  neither  joined  in  the  labors  nor  sports  of  her  companions. 


180  LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF   SPAIN. 

She  was  lofty  in  her  demeanor,  and  the  others  always  paid  her 
reverence  ;  yet  sorrow  had  given  a  softness  to  her  charms,  and 
rendered  her  beauty  touching  to  the  heart.  Abdalasis  found 
her  one  day  in  the  garden  with  her  companions  ;  they  had 
adorned  their  heads  with  flowers,  and  were  singing  the  songs 
of  their  country,  but  she  sat  by  herself  and  wept.  The  youth 
ful  emir  was  moved  by  her  tears,  and  accosted  her  in  gentle 
accents.  "  O  fairest  of  women  ! "  said  he,  "  why  dost  thou 
weep,  and  why  is  thy  heart  troubled  ?  "  "  Alas  !  "  replied  she, 
"  have  I  not  cause  to  weep,  seeing  how  sad  is  my  condition, 
and  how  great  the  height  from  which  I  have  fallen  ?  In  me 
you  behold  the  wretched  Exilona,  but  lately  the  wife  of  Rod 
erick  and  the  Queen  of  Spain,  now  a  captive  and  a  slave  ! * 
and,  having  said  these  words,  she  cast  her  eyes  upon  the  earth, 
and  her  tears  began  to  flow  afresh. 

The  generous  feelings  of  Abdalasis  were  aroused  at  the  sight 
of  beauty  and  royalty  in  tears.  He  gave  orders  that  Exilona 
should  be  entertained  in  a  style  befitting  her  former  rank ;  he 
appointed  a  train  of  female  attendants  to  wait  upon  her,  and  a 
guard  of  honor  to  protect  her  from  all  intrusion.  All  the  time 
that  he  could  spare  from  public  concerns  was  passed  in  her 
society;  and  he  even  neglected  his  divan,  and  suffered  his 
counsellors  to  attend  in  vain,  while  he  lingered  in  the  apart 
ments  and  gardens  of  the  palace,  listening  to  the  voice  of  Ex 
ilona. 

The  discreet  Ayub  saw  the  danger  into  which  he  was  falling. 
"  O  Abdalasis,"  said  he,  "  remember  the  words  of  thy  father. 
'  Beware,  my  son,'  said  he, '  of  the  seductions  of  love.  It  ren 
ders  the  mighty  weak,  and  makes  slaves  of  princes ! "  A 
blush  kindled  on  the  cheek  of  Abdalasis,  and  he  was  silent  for 
a  moment.  "  Why,"  said  he,  at  length,  "  do  you  seek  to  charge 


LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN.  181 

me  with  such  weakness  ?  It  is  one  thing  to  be  infatuated  by 
the  charms  of  a  woman,  and  another  to  be  touched  by  her  mis 
fortunes.  It  is  the  duty  of  my  station  to  console  a  princess 
who  has  been  reduced  to  the  lowest  humiliation  by  the  triumphs 
of  our  arms.  In  doing  so  I  do  but  listen  to  the  dictates  of  true 
magnanimity." 

Ayub  was  silent,  but  his  brow  was  clouded,  and  for  once  Ab- 
dalasis  parted  in  discontent  from  his  counsellor.  In  proportion 
as  he  was  dissatisfied  with  others  or  with  himself,  he  sought  the 
society  of  Exilona,  for  there  was  a  charm  in  her  conversation 
that  banished  every  care.  He  daily  became  more  and  more 
enamored,  and  Exilona  gradually  ceased  to  weep,  and  began 
to  listen  with  secret  pleasure  to  the  words  of  her  Arab  lover. 
When,  however,  he  sought  to  urge  his  passion,  she  recollected 
the  light  estimation  in  which  her  sex  was  held  by  the  followers 
of  Mahomet,  and  assumed  a  countenance  grave  and  severe. 

"  Fortune,"  said  she,  "  has  cast  me  at  thy  feet ;  behold  I  am 
thy  captive  and  thy  spoil.  But  though  my  person  is  in  thy 
power,  my  soul  is  unsubdued ;  and  know  that,  should  I  lack 
force  to  defend  my  honor,  I  have  resolution  to  wash  out  all 
stain  upon  it  with  my  blood.  I  trust,  however,  in  thy  courtesy 
as  a  cavalier  to  respect  me  in  my  reverses,  remembering  what 
I  have  been,  and  that  though  the  crown  has  been  wrested  from 
my  brow,  the  royal  blood  still  warms  within  my  veins.* 

The  lofty  spirit  of  Exilona,  and  her  proud  repulse,  served 
but  to  increase  the  passion  of  Abdalasis.  He  besought  her  to 
unite  her  destiny  with  his,  and  share  his  state  and  power,  prom 
ising  that  she  should  have  no  rival  nor  copartner  in  his  heart. 
Whatever  scruples  the  captive  queen  might  originally  have  felt 
to  a  union  with  one  of  the  conquerors  of  her  lord,  and  an  en- 
*  Faxardo.  corona,  Gothica,  T.  1,  p.  492.  Joan.  Mar.  de  reb.  Hisp.  L.  6,  c.  27- 


182  LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN. 

emy  of  her  adopted  faith,  they  were  easily  vanquished,  and  she 
became  the  bride  of  Abdalasis.  He  would  fain  have  persuaded 
her  to  return  to  the  faith  of  her  fathers  ;  but  though  of  Moor 
ish  origin,  and  brought  up  in  the  doctrines  of  Islam,  she  was 
too  thorough  a  convert  to  Christianity  to  consent,  and  looked 
back  with  disgust  upon  a  religion  that  admitted  a  plurality  of 
wives. 

When  the  sage  Ayub  heard  of  the  resolution  of  Abdalasis  to 
espouse  Exilona  he  was  in  despair.  "  Alas,  my  cousin  ! "  said 
he,  "  what  infatuation  possesses  thee  ?  Hast  thou  then  entirely 
forgotten  the  letter  of  thy  father  ?  '  Beware,  my  son,'  said  he, 
'  of  love ;  it  is  an  idle  passion,  which  enfeebles  the  heart  and 
blinds  the  judgment.' "  But  Abdalasis  interrupted  him  with 
impatience.  "  My  father,"  said  he,  "  spake  but  of  the  blandish 
ments  of  wanton  love ;  against  these  I  am  secured  by  my  vir 
tuous  passion  for  Exilona." 

Ayub  would  fain  have  impressed  upon  him  the  dangers  he 
ran  of  awakening  suspicion  in  the  caliph,  and  discontent  among 
the  Moslems,  by  wedding  the  queen  of  the  conquered  Roder 
ick,  and  one  who  was  an  enemy  to  the  religion  of  Mahomet ; 
but  the  youthful  lover  only  listened  to  his  passion.  Their  nup 
tials  were  celebrated  at  Seville  with  great  pomp  and  rejoicings, 
and  he  gave  his  bride  the  name  of  Omalisam  ;  that  is  to  say, 
she  of  the  precious  jewels ;  *  but  she  continued  to  be  known 
among  the  Christians  by  the  name  of  Exilona. 

*  Conde,  p.  1,  c.  17. 


LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN.  188 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

FATE    OF   ABDALASIS    AND    EXILONA. DEATH    OF    MUZA. 

POSSESSION,  instead  of  cooling  the  passion  of  Abdalasis,  only 
added  to  its  force  ;  he  became  blindly  enamored  of  his  beau 
tiful  bride,  and  consulted  her  will  in  alt  things ;  nay,  having 
lost  all  relish  for  the  advice  of  the  discreet  Ayub,  he  was  even 
guided  by  the  counsels  of  his  wife  in  the  affairs  of  government. 
Exilona,  unfortunately,  had  once  been  a  queen,  and  she  could 
not  remember  her  regal  glories  without  regret.  She  saw  that 
Abdalasis  had  great  power  in  the  land,  —  greater  even  than 
had  been  possessed  by  the  Gothic  kings,  —  but  she  considered 
it  as  wanting  in  true  splendor  until  his  brow  should  be  encir 
cled  with  the  outward  badge  of  royalty.  One  day  when  they 
were  alone  in  the  palace  of  Seville,  and  the  heart  of  Abdalasis 
was  given  up  to  tenderness,  she  addressed  him  in  fond  yet 
timid  accents.  "  Will  not  my  lord  be  offended,"  said  she,  u  if  I 
make  an  unwelcome  request  ?  "  Abdalasis  regarded  her  with  a 
smile.  "  What  canst  thou  ask  of  me,  Exilona."  said  he,  "  that 
it  would  not  be  a  happiness  for  me  to  grant  ?  "  Then  Exilona 
produced  a  crown  of  gold,  sparkling  with  jewels,  which  had  be 
longed  to  the  king,  Don  Roderick,  and  said,  "  Behold,  thou  art 
king  in  authority  ;  be  so  in  thy  outward  state.  There  is  majesty 
and  glory  in  a  crown  ;  it  gives  a  sanctity  to  power."  Then  put 
ting  the  crown  upon  his  head,  she  held  a  mirror  before  him 
that  he  might  behold  the  majesty  of  his  appearance.  Abdala- 


184  LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN. 

sis  chid  her  fondly,  and  put  the  crown  away  from  him,  but  Ex- 
ilona  persisted  in  her  prayer.  "  Never,"  said  she,  "  has  there 
been  a  king  in  Spain  that  did  not  wear  a  crown."  So  Abdala- 
sis  suffered  himself  to  be  beguiled  by  the  blandishments  of  his 
wife,  and  to  be  invested  with  the  crown  and  sceptre  and  other 
signs  of  royalty.* 

It  is  affirmed  by  ancient  and  discreet  chroniclers,  that  Abda- 
lasis  only  assumed  this  royal  state  in  the  privacy  of  his  palace, 
and  to  gratify  the  eye  of  his  youthful  bride  ;  but  where  was  a 
secret  ever  confined  within  the  walls  of  a  palace  ?  The  as 
sumption  of  the  insignia  of  the  ancient  Gothic  kings  was  soon 
rumored  about,  and  caused  the  most  violent  suspicions.  The 
Moslems  had  already  felt  jealous  of  the  ascendancy  of  this 
beautiful  woman,  and  it  was  now  confidently  asserted  that 
Abdalasis,  won  by  her  persuasions,  had  secretly  turned  Chris 
tian. 

The  enemies  of  Abdalasis,  those  whose  rapacious  spirits  had 
been  kept  in  check  by  the  beneficence  of  his  rule,  seized  upon 
this  occasion  to  ruin  him.  They  sent  letters  to  Damascus  ac 
cusing  him  of  apostasy,  and  of  an  intention  to  seize  upon  the 
throne  in  right  of  his  wife,  Exilona,  as  widow  of  the  late  King 
Roderick.  It  was  added,  that  the  Christians  were  prepared  to 
flock  to  his  standard  as  the  only  means  of  regaining  ascen 
dancy  in  their  country. 

These  accusations  arrived  at  Damascus  just  after  the  ac 
cession  of  the  sanguinary  Suleiman  to  the  throne,  and  in  the 
height  of  his  persecution  of  the  unfortunate  Muza.  The  caliph 
waited  for  no  proofs  in  confirmation ;  he  immediately  sent 
private  orders  that  Abdalasis  should  be  put  to  death,  and  that 

*  Cron.  gen.  de  Alonzo  el  Sabio,  p.  3.  Joan.  Mar.  de  reb.  Hisp.  lib.  6,  c.  27. 
Conde,  p.  1,  c.  19. 


LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN.  185 

the  same  fate  should  be  dealt  to  his  two  brothers  who  gov 
erned  in  Africa,  as  a  sure  means  of  crushing  the  conspiracy 
of  this  ambitious  family. 

The  mandate  for  the  death  of  Abdalasis  was  sent  to  Abhil- 
bar  ben  Obeidah  and  Zeyd  ben  Nabegat,  both  of  whom  had 
been  cherished  friends  of  Muza,  and  had  lived  in  intimate 
favor  and  companionship  with  his  son.  When  they  read  the 
fatal  parchment,  the  scroll  fell  from  their  trembling  hands. 
"  Can  such  hostility  exist  against  the  family  of  Muza  ? "  ex 
claimed  they.  "Is  this  the  reward  for  such  great  and  glo 
rious  services  ? "  The  cavaliers  remained  for  some  time 
plunged  in  horror  and  consternation.  The  order,  however, 
was  absolute,  and  left  them  no  discretion.  "  Allah  is  great," 
said  they,  "  and  commands  us  to  obey  our  sovereign."  So  they 
prepared  to  execute  the  bloody  mandate  with  the  blind  fidelity 
of  Moslems. 

It  was  necessary  to  proceed  with  caution.  The  open  and 
magnanimous  character  of  Abdalasis  had  won  the  hearts  of  a 
great  part  of  the  soldiery,  and  his  magnificence  pleased  the 
cavaliers  who  formed  his  guard  ;  it  was  feared,  therefore,  that 
a  sanguinary  opposition  would  be  made  to  any  attempt  upon 
his  person.  The  rabble,  however,  had  been  imbittered  against 
him  from  his  having  restrained  their  depredations,  and  be 
cause  they  thought  him  an  apostate  in  his  heart,  secretly  bent 
upon  betraying  them  to  the  Christians.  While,  therefore,  the 
two  officers  made  vigilant  dispositions  to  check  any  movement 
on  the  part  of  the  soldiery,  they  let  loose  the  blind  fury  of  the 
populace  by  publishing  the  fatal  mandate.  In  a  moment  the 
city  was  in  a  ferment,  and  there  was  a  ferocious  emulation  who 
should  be  first  to  execute  the  orders  of  the  caliph. 

Abdalasis  was  at  this  time  at  a  palace  in  the  country  not  far 
9* 


186  LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF    SPAIN. 

from  Seville,  commanding  a  delightful  view  of  the  fertile  plain 
of  the  Guadalquivir.  Hither  he  was  accustomed  to  retire  from 
the  tumult  of  the  court,  and  to  pass  his  time  among  groves  and 
fountains  and  the  sweet  repose  of  gardens,  in  the  society  of 
Exilona.  It  was  the  dawn  of  day,  the  hour  of  early  prayer, 
when  the  furious  populace  arrived  at  this  retreat.  Abdalasis 
was  offering  up  his  orisons  in  a  small  mosque  which  he  had 
erected  for  the  use  of  the  neighboring  peasantry.  Exilona  was 
in  a  chapel  in  the  interior  of  the  palace,  where  her  confessor,  a 
holy  friar,  was  performing  mass.  They  were  both  surprised  at 
their  devotions,  and  dragged  forth  by  the  hands  of  the  rabble. 
A  few  guards,  who  attended  at  the  palace,  would  have  made 
defence,  but  they  were  overawed  by  the  sight  of  the  written 
mandate  of  the  caliph. 

The  captives  were  borne  in  triumph  to  Seville.  All  the 
beneficent  virtues  of  Abdalasis  were  forgotten  ;  nor  had  the 
charms  of  Exilona  any  effect  in  softening  the  hearts  of  the 
populace.  The  brutal  eagerness  to  shed  blood,  which  seems 
inherent  in  human  nature,  was  awakened,  and  woe  to  the  vic 
tims  when  that  eagerness  is  quickened  by  religious  hate.  The 
illustrious  couple,  adorned  with  all  the  graces  of  youth  and 
beauty,  were  hurried  to  a  scaffold  in  the  great  square  of  Seville, 
and  there  beheaded  amidst  the  shouts  and  execrations  of  an 
infatuated  multitude.  Their  bodies  were  left  exposed  upon  the 
ground,  and  would  have  been  devoured  by  dogs,  had  they  not 
been  gathered  at  night  by  some  friendly  hand,  and  poorly  in 
terred  in  one  of  the  courts  of  their  late  dwelling. 

Thus  terminated  the  loves  and  lives  of  Abdalasis  and  Exi 
lona,  in  they  ear  of  the  Incarnation  seven  hundred  and  fourteen. 
Their  names  were  held  sacred  as  martyrs  to  the  Christian 
faith  ;  but  many  read  in  their  untimely  fate  a  lesson  against 


LEGEND    OF    THE    SUBJUGATION    OF   SPAIN.  187 

ambition  and  vainglory  ;  having  sacrificed  real  power  and  sub 
stantial  rule  to  the  glittering  bauble  of  a  crown. 

The  head  of  Abdalasis  was  embalmed  and  enclosed  in  a 
casket,  and  sent  to  Syria  to  the  cruel  Suleiman.  The  mes 
senger  who  bore  it  overtook  the  caliph  as  he  was  performing  a 
pilgrimage  to  Mecca.  Muza  was  among  the  courtiers  in  his 
train,  having  been  released  from  prison.  On  opening  the 
casket  and  regarding  its  contents,  the  eyes  of  the  tyrant 
sparkled  with  malignant  satisfaction.  Calling  the  unhappy 
father  to  his  side,  "  Muza,"  said  he,  "  dost  thou  know  this 
head  ?  "  The  veteran  recognized  the  features  of  his  beloved 
son,  and  turned  his  face  away  with  anguish.  "  Yes !  well  do  I 
know  it,"  replied  he ;  "  and  may  the  curse  of  God  light  upon 
him  who  has  destroyed  a  better  man  than  himself." 

Without  adding  another  word  he  retired  to  Mount  Deran,  a 
prey  to  devouring  melancholy.  He  shortly  after  received 
tidings  of  the  death  of  his  two  sons  whom  he  had  left  in  the 
government  of  western  Africa,  and  who  had  fallen  victims  to 
the  jealous  suspicions  of  the  caliph.  His  advanced  age  was 
not  proof  against  these  repeated  blows  and  this  utter  ruin  of 
his  late  prosperous  family,  and  he  sank  into  his  grave  sorrowing 
and  broken-hearted. 

Such  was  the  lamentable  end  of  the  conqueror  of  Spain  ; 
whose  great  achievements  were  not  sufficient  to  atone,  in  the 
eye  of  his  sovereign,  for  a  weakness  to  which  all  men  ambitious 
of  renown  are  subject ;  and  whose  triumphs  eventually  brought 
persecution  upon  himself  and  untimely  death  upon  his  chil 
dren. 

Here  ends  the  legend  of  the  Subjugation  of  Spain. 


LEGEND 


COUNT  JULIAN  AND  HIS  FAMILY. 


LEGEND 

OF 

COUNT  JULIAN   AND  HIS  FAMILY. 


IN  the  preceding  legends  is  darkly  shadowed  out  a  true 
story  of  the  woes  of  Spain.  It  is  a  story  full  of  wholesome 
admonition,  rebuking  the  insolence  of  human  pride  and  the 
vanity  of  human  ambition,  and  showing  the  futility  of  all  great 
ness  that  is  not  strongly  based  on  virtue.  We  have  seen,  in 
brief  space  of  time,  most  of  the  actors  in  this  historic  drama 
disappearing,  one  by  one,  from  the  scene,  and  going  down, 
conqueror  and  conquered,  to  gloomy  and  unhonored  graves. 
It  remains  to  close  this  eventful  history  by  holding  up,  as  a 
signal  warning,  the  fate  of  the  traitor  whose  perfidious  scheme 
of  vengeance  brought  ruin  on  his  native  land. 

Many  and  various  are  the  accounts  given  in  ancient  chron 
icles  of  the  fortunes  of  Count  Julian  and  his  family,  and  many 
are  the  traditions  on  the  subject  still  extant  among  the  popu 
lace  of  Spain,  and  perpetuated  in  those  countless  ballads  sung 
by  peasants  and  muleteers,  which  spread  a  singular  charm 
over  the  whole  of  this  romantic  land. 

He  who  has  travelled  in  Spain  in  the  true  way  in  which  the 
country  ought  to  be  travelled,  —  sojourning  in  its  remote  prov 
inces,  rambling  among  the  rugged  defiles  and  secluded  val 
leys  of  its  mountains,  and  making  himself  familiar  with  the 
people  in  their  out-of-the-way  hamlets  and  rarely  visited  neigh- 


192  LEGEND    OF    COUNT    JULIAN    AND    HIS    FAMILY. 

borhoods,  —  will  remember  many  a  group  of  travellers  and 
muleteers,  gathered  of  an  evening  around  the  door  or  the  spa 
cious  hearth  of  a  mountain  venta,  wrapped  in  their  brown  cloaks, 
and  listening  with  grave  and  profound  attention  to  the  long  his 
toric  ballad  of  some  rustic  troubadour,  either  recited  with  the 
true  ore  rotundo  and  modulated  cadences  of  Spanish  elocution, 
or  chanted  to  the  tinkling  of  a  guitar.  In  this  way  he  may 
have  heard  the  doleful  end  of  Count  Julian  and  his  family 
recounted  in  traditionary  rhymes,  that  have  been  handed 
down  from  generation  to  generation.  The  particulars,  how 
ever,  of  the  following  wild  legend  are  chiefly  gathered  from 
the  writings  of  the  pseudo  Moor  Basis ;  how  far  they  may 
be  safely  taken  as  historic  facts  it  is  impossible  now  to  ascer 
tain  ;  we  must  content  ourselves,  therefore,  with  their  answer 
ing  to  the  exactions  of  poetic  justice. 

As  yet  everything  had  prospered  with  Count  Julian.  He 
had  gratified  his  vengeance  ;  he  had  been  successful  in  his 
treason,  and  had  acquired  countless  riches  from  the  ruin  of 
his  country.  But  it  is  not  outward  success  that  constitutes 
prosperity.  The  tree  flourishes  with  fruit  and  foliage  while 
blasted  and  withering  at  the  heart.  Wherever  he  went,  Count 
Julian  read  hatred  in  every  eye.  The  Christians  cursed  him 
as  the  cause  of  all  their  woe ;  the  Moslems  despised  and  dis 
trusted  him  as  a  traitor.  Men  whispered  together  as  he  ap 
proached,  and  then  turned  away  in  scorn ;  and  mothers  snatched 
away  their  children  with  horror  if  he  offered  to  caress  them. 
He  withered  under  the  execration  of  his  fellow-men,  and  last, 
and  worst  of  all,  he  began  to  loathe  himself.  He  tried  in  vain 
to  persuade  himself  that  he  had  but  taken  a  justifiable  ven 
geance  ;  he  felt  that  no  personal  wrong  can  justify  the  crime 
of  treason  to  one's  country. 


LEGEND    OF    COUNT   JULIAN   AND    HIS    FAMILY.  193 

For  a  time  he  sought  in  luxurious  indulgence  to  soothe  or 
forget  the  miseries  of  the  mind.  He  assembled  round  him 
every  pleasure  and  gratification  that  boundless  wealth  could 
purchase,  but  all  in  vain.  He  had  no  relish  for  the  dainties  of 
his  board ;  music  had  no  charm  wherewith  to  lull  his  soul, 
and  remorse  drove  slumber  from  his  pillow.  He  sent  to  Ceuta 
for  his  wife  Frandina,  his  daughter  Florinda,  and  his  youthful 
son  Alarbot ;  hoping  in  the  bosom  of  his  family  to  find  that 
sympathy  and  kindness  which  he  could  no  longer  meet  with 
in  the  world.  Their  presence,  however,  brought  him  no  alle 
viation.  Florinda,  the  daughter  of  his  heart,  for  whose  sake 
he  had  undertaken  this  signal  vengeance,  was  sinking  a  victim 
to  its  eiFects.  "Wherever  she  went,  she  found  herself  a  by 
word  of  shame  and  reproach.  The  outrage  she  had  suffered 
was  imputed  to  her  as  wantonness,  and  her  calamity  was  mag 
nified  into  a  crime.  The  Christians  never  mentioned  her  name 
without  a  curse,  and  the  Moslems,  the  gainers  by  her  misfor 
tune,  spake  of  her  only  by  the  appellation  of  Cava,  the  vilest 
epithet  they  could  apply  to  woman. 

But  the  opprobrium  of  the  world  was  nothing  to  the  up 
braiding  of  her  own  heart.  She  charged  herself  with  all  the 
miseries  of  these  disastrous  wars,  —  the  deaths  of  so  many  gal 
lant  cavaliers,  the  conquest  and  perdition  of  her  country. 
The  anguish  of  her  mind  preyed  upon  the  beauty  of  her  per 
son.  Her  eye,  once  soft  and  tender  in  its  expression,  became 
wild  and  haggard  ;  her  cheek  lost  its  bloom,  and  became  hollow 
and  pallid,  and  at  times  there  was  desperation  in  her  words. 
When  her  father  sought  to  embrace  her  she  withdrew  with 
shuddering  from  his  arms,  for  she  thought  of  his  treason  and 
the  ruin  it  had  brought  upon  Spain.  Her  wretchedness  in 
creased  after  her  return  to  her  native  country,  until  it  rose  to 


194  LEGEND    OF    COUNT   JULIAN    AND    HIS    FAMILY. 

a  degree  of  frenzy.  One  day  when  she  was  walking  with  her 
parents  in  the  garden  of  their  palace,  she  entered  a  tower,  and, 
having  barred  the  door,  ascended  to  the  battlements.  From 
thence  she  called  to  them  in  piercing  accents,  expressive  of 
her  insupportable  anguish  and  desperate  determination.  "  Let 
this  city,"  said  she,  "  be  henceforth  called  Malacca,  in  memorial 
of  the  most  wretched  of  women,  who  therein  put  an  end  to  her 
days."  So  saying,  she  threw  herself  headlong  from  the  tower, 
and  was  dashed  to  pieces.  The  city,  adds  the  ancient  chron 
icler,  received  the  name  thus  given  it,  though  afterwards  soft 
ened  to  Malaga,  which  it  still  retains  in  memory  of  the  tragical 
end  of  Florinda. 

The  Countess  Frandina  abandoned  this  scene  of  woe,  and 
returned  to  Ceuta,  accompanied  by  her  infant  son.  She  took 
with  her  the  remains  of  her  unfortunate  daughter,  and  gave 
them  honorable  sepulture  in  a  mausoleum  of  the  chapel  be 
longing  to  the  citadel.  Count  Julian  departed  for  Cartha- 
gena,  where  he  remained  plunged  in  horror  at  this  doleful 
event. 

About  this  time,  the  cruel  Suleiman,  having  destroyed  the 
family  of  Muza,  had  sent  an  Arab  general,  named  Alahor,  to 
succeed  Abdalasis  as  emir  or  governor  of  Spain.  The  new 
emir  was  of  a  cruel  and  suspicious  nature,  and  commenced  his 
sway  with  a  stern  severity  that  soon  made  those  under  his 
command  look  back  with  regret  to  the  easy  rule  of  Abdalasis. 
He  regarded  with  an  eye  of  distrust  the  renegado  Christians 
who  had  aided  in  the  conquest,  and  who  bore  arms  in  the  ser 
vice  of  the  Moslems ;  but  his  deepest  suspicions  fell  upon 
Count  Julian.  "  He  has  been  a  traitor  to  his  own  country 
men,"  said  he ;  "  how  can  we  be  sure  that  he  will  not  prove 
traitor  to  us  ?  " 


LEGEND  OF  COUNT  JULIAN  AND  HIS  FAMILY.     195 

A  sudden  insurrection  of  the  Christians  who  had  taken 
refuge  in  the  Asturian  Mountains,  quickened  his  suspicions, 
and  inspired  him  with  fears  of  some  dangerous  conspiracy 
against  his  power.  In  the  height  of  his  anxiety,  he  bethought 
him  of  an  Arabian  sage  named  Yuza,  who  had  accompanied  him 
from  Africa.  This  son  of  science  was  withered  in  form,  and 
looked  as  if  he  had  outlived  the  usual  term  of  mortal  life.  In 
the  course  of  his  studies  and  travels  in  the  East,  he  had  collected 
the  knowledge  and  experience  of  ages  ;  being  skilled  in  astrol 
ogy,  and,  it  is  said,  in  necromancy,  and  possessing  the  mar 
vellous  gift  of  prophecy  or  divination.  To  this  expounder  of 
mysteries  Alahor  applied  to  learn  whether  any  secret  treason 
menaced  his  safety. 

The  astrologer  listened  with  deep  attention  and  overwhelm 
ing  brow  to  all  the  surmises  and  suspicions  of  the  emir, 
then  shut  himself  up  to  consult  his  books  and  commune  with 
those  supernatural  intelligences  subservient  to  his  wisdom. 
At  an  appointed  hour  the  emir  sought  him  in  his  cell.  It 
was  filled  with  the  smoke  of  perfumes ;  squares  and  circles 
and  various  diagrams  were  described  upon  the  floor,  and  the 
astrologer  was  poring  over  a  scroll  of  parchment,  covered 
with  cabalistic  characters.  He  received  Alahor  with  a  gloomy 
and  sinister  aspect ;  pretending  to  have  discovered  fearful 
portents  in  the  heavens,  and  to  have  had  strange  dreams  and 
mystic  visions. 

"  0  emir,"  said  he,  "  be  on  your  guard !  treason  is  around 
you  and  in  your  path  ;  your  life  is  in  peril.  Beware  of  Count 
Julian  and  his  family." 

"  Enough,"  said  the  emir.  "  They  shall  all  die !  Parents 
and  children,  —  all  shall  die  ! " 

He   forthwith  sent  a  summons   to  Count  Julian  to  attend 


196  LEGEND    OP    COUNT    JULIAN    AND    HIS    FAMILY. 

him  in  Cordova.  The  messenger  found  him  plunged  in  afflic 
tion  for  the  recent  death  of  his  daughter.  The  count  excused 
himself,  on  account  of  this  misfortune,  from  obeying  the  com 
mands  of  the  emir  in  person,  but  sent  several  of  his  adher 
ents.  His  hesitation,  and  the  circumstance  of  his  having 
sent  his  family  across  the  straits  to  Africa,  were  construed 
by  the  jealous  mind  of  the  emir  into  proofs  of  guilt.  He 
no  longer  doubted  his  being  concerned  in  the  recent  insur 
rections,  and  that  he  had  sent  his  family  away,  preparatory 
to  an  attempt,  by  force  of  arms,  to  subvert  the  Moslem  domi 
nation.  In  his  fury  he  put  to  death  Siseburto  and  Evan, 
the  nephews  of  Bishop  Oppas  and  sons  of  the  former  king, 
Witiza,  suspecting  them  of  taking  part  in  the  treason.  Thus 
did  they  expiate  their  treachery  to  their  country  in  the  fatal 
battle  of  the  Guadalete. 

Alahor  next  hastened  to  Carthagena  to  seize  upon  Count 
Julian.  So  rapid  were  his  movements  that  the  count  had 
barely  time  to  escape  with  fifteen  cavaliers,  with  whom  he 
took  refuge  in  the  strong  castle  of  Marcuello,  among  the 
mountains  of  Aragon.  The  emir,  enraged  to  be  disappointed 
of  his  prey,  embarked  at  Carthagena  and  crossed  the  straits 
to  Ceuta,  to  make  captives  of  the  Countess  Frandina  and 
her  son. 

The  old  chronicle  from  which  we  take  this  part  of  our 
legend,  presents  a  gloomy  picture  of  the  countess  in  the 
stern  fortress  to  which  she  had  fled  for  refuge,  —  a  picture 
heightened  by  supernatural  horrors.  These  latter  the  sa 
gacious  reader  will  admit  or  reject  according  to  the  measure 
of  his  faith  and  judgment ;  always  remembering  that  in  dark 
and  eventful  times,  like  those  in  question,  involving  the  des 
tinies  of  nations,  the  downfall  of  kingdoms,  and  the  crimes 


LEGEND    OF    COUNT   JULIAN    AND    HIS    FAMILY.  197 

of  rulers  and  mighty  men,  the  hand  of  fate  is  sometimes 
strangely  visible,  and  confounds  the  wisdom  of  the  worldly 
wise,  by  intimations  and  portents  above  the  ordinary  course 
of  things.  With  this  proviso,  we  make  no  scruple  to  follow 
the  venerable  chronicler  in  his  narration. 

Now  so  it  happened  that  the  Countess  Frandina  was  seated 
late  at  night  in  her  chamber  in  the  citadel  of  Ceuta,  which 
stands  on  a  lofty  rock,  overlooking  the  sea.  She  was  revolv 
ing  in  gloomy  thought  the  late  disasters  of  her  family,  when 
she  heard  a  mournful  noise  like  that  of  the  sea-breeze  moan 
ing  about  the  castle  walls.  Raising  her  eyes,  she  beheld  her 
brother,  the  Bishop  Oppas,  at  the  entrance  of  the  chamber. 
She  advanced  to  embrace  him,  but  he  forbade  her  with  a 
motion  of  his  hand,  and  she  observed  that  he  was  ghastly 
pale,  and  that  his  eyes  glared  as  with  lambent  flames. 

"  Touch  me  not,  sister,"  said  he,  with  a  mournful  voice, 
"  lest  thou  be  consumed  by  the  fire  which  rages  within  me. 
Guard  well  thy  son,  for  blood-hounds  are  upon  his  track. 
His  innocence  might  have  secured  him  the  protection  of 
Heaven,  but  our  crimes  have  involved  him  in  our  common 
ruin."  He  ceased  to  speak  and  was  no  longer  to  be  seen. 
His  coming  and  going  were  alike  without  noise,  and  the  door 
of  the  chamber  remained  fast  bolted. 

On  the  following  morning  a  messenger  arrived  with  tidings 
that  the  Bishop  Oppas  had  been  made  prisoner  in  battle  by 
the  insurgent  Christians  of  the  Asturias,  and  had  died  in  fet 
ters  in  a  tower  of  the  mountains.  The  same  messenger 
brought  word  that  the  Emir  Alahor  had  put  to  death  several 
of  the  friends  of  Count  Julian ;  had  obliged  him  to  fly  for 
his  life  to  a  castle  in  Aragon,  and  was  embarking  with  a 
formidable  force  for  Ceuta. 


198  LEGEND    OF    COUNT   JULIAN    AND    HIS    FAMILY. 

The  Countess  Fran  din  a,  as  has  already  been  shown,  was 
of  courageous  heart,  and  danger  made  her  desperate.  There 
were  fifty  Moorish  soldiers  in  the  garrison ;  she  feared  that 
they  would  prove  treacherous,  and  take  part  with  their 
countrymen.  Summoning  her  officers,  therefore,  she  in 
formed  them  of  their  danger,  and  commanded  them  to  put 
those  Moors  to  death.  The  guards  sallied  forth  to  obey  her 
orders.  Thirty-five  of  the  Moors  were  in  the  great  square, 
unsuspicious  of  any  danger,  when  they  were  severally  singled 
out  by  their  executioners,  and,  at  a  concerted  signal,  killed 
on  the  spot.  The  remaining  fifteen  took  refuge  in  a  tower. 
They  saw  the  armada  of  the  emir  at  a  distance,  and  hoped 
to  be  able  to  hold  out  until  its  arrival.  The  soldiers  of  the 
countess  saw  it  also,  and  made  extraordinary  efforts  to  de 
stroy  these  internal  enemies  before  they  should  be  attacked 
from  without.  They  made  repeated  attempts  to  storm  the 
tower,  but  were  as  often  repulsed  with  severe  loss.  They 
then  undermined  it,  supporting  its  foundations  by  stanchions 
of  wood.  To  these  they  set  fire  and  withdrew  to  a  distance, 
keeping  up  a  constant  shower  of  missiles  to  prevent  the 
Moors  from  sallying  forth  to  extinguish  the  flames.  The 
stanchions  were  rapidly  consumed,  and  when  they  gave  way 
the  tower  fell  to  the  ground.  Some  of  the  Moors  were 
crushed  •  among  the  ruins ;  others  were  flung  to  a  distance 
and  dashed  among  the  rocks  ;  those  who  survived  were  in 
stantly  put  to  the  sword. 

The  fleet  of  the  emir  arrived  at  Ceuta  about  the  hour  of 
vespers.  He  landed,  but  found  the  gates  closed  against  him. 
The  countess  herself  spoke  to  him  from  a  tower,  and  set 
him  at  defiance.  The  emir  immediately  laid  siege  to  the 
city.  He  consulted  the  astrologer  Yuza,  who  told  him  that 


LEGEND    OF    COUNT   JULIAN    AND    HIS    FAMILY.  199 

for  seven  days  his  star  would  have  the  ascendant  over  that  of 
the  youth  Alarbot,  but  after  that  time  the  youth  would  be 
safe  from  his  power,  and  would  effect  his  ruin. 

Alahor  immediately  ordered  the  city  to  be  assailed  on  every 
side,  and  at  length  carried  it  •  by  storm.  The  countess  took 
refuge  with  her  forces  in  the  citadel,  and  made  desperate  de 
fence  ;  but  the  walls  were  sapped  and  mined,  and  she  saw 
that  all  resistance  would  soon  be  unavailing.  Her  only 
thoughts  now  were  to  conceal  her  child.  "  Surely,"  said  she, 
"they  will  not  think  of  seeking  him  among  the  dead."  She 
led  him  therefore  into  the  dark  and  dismal  chapel.  "Thou 
art  not  afraid  to  be  alone  in  this  darkness,  my  child  ?  "  said  she. 

"  No,  mother,"  replied  the  boy ;  "  darkness  gives  silence 
and  sleep."  She  conducted  him  to  the  tomb  of  Florinda. 
"  Fearest  thou  the  dead,  my  child  ?  "  "  No  mother ;  the  dead 
can  do  no  harm,  and  what  should  I  fear  from  my  sister  ?  " 

The  countess  opened  the  sepulchre.  "Listen,  my  son," 
said  she.  "  There  are  fierce  and  cruel  people  who  have  come 
hither  to  murder  thee.  Stay  here  in  company  with  thy  sis 
ter,  and  be  quiet  as  thou  dost  value  thy  life  !  "  The  boy, 
who  was  of  a  courageous  nature,  did  as  he  was  bidden,  and 
remained  there  all  that  day,  and  all  the  night,  and  the  next 
day  until  the  third  hour. 

In  the  mean  time  the  walls  of  the  citadel  were  sapped, 
the  troops  of  the  emir  poured  in  at  the  breach,  and  a  great 
part  of  the  garrison  was  put  to  the  sword.  The  countess 
was  taken  prisoner  and  brought  before  the  emir.  She  ap 
peared  in  his  presence  with  a  haughty  demeanor,  as  if  she 
had  been  a  queen  receiving  homage  ;  but  when  he  demanded 
her  son,  she  faltered  and  turned  pale,  and  replied,  "My 
son  is  with  the  dead." 


200  LEGEND    OF    COUNT    JULIAN    AND    HIS    FAMILY. 

"  Countess,"  said  the  emir,  "  I  am  not  to  be  deceived  ;  tell 
me  where  you  have  concealed  the  boy,  or  tortures  shall  wring 
from  you  the  secret." 

"  Emir,"  replied  the  countess,  "  may  the  greatest  torments  be 
my  portion,  both  here  and  hereafter,  if  what  I  speak  be  not  the 
truth.  My  darling  child  lies  buried  with  the  dead." 

The  emir  was  confounded  by  the  solemnity  of  her  words  ; 
but  the  withered  astrologer  Yuza,  who  stood  by  his  side  re 
garding  the  countess  from  beneath  his  bushed  eyebrows,  per 
ceived  trouble  in  her  countenance  and  equivocation  in  her 
words.  "  Leave  this  matter  to  me,"  whispered  he  to  Alahor  ; 
"  I  will  produce  the  child." 

He  ordered  strict  search  to  be  made  by  the  soldiery,  and  he  ' 
obliged  the  countess  to  be  always  present.     When  they  came 
to  the  chapel,  her  cheek  turned  pale  and  her  lip  quivered. 
"  This,"  said  the  subtile  astrologer,  "  is  the  place  of  conceal 
ment  !  " 

The  search  throughout  the  chapel,  however,  was  equally 
vain,  and  the  soldiers  were  about  to  depart,  when  Yuza  re 
marked  a  slight  gleam  of  joy  in  the  eye  of  the  countess.  "  We 
are  leaving  our  prey  behind,"  thought  he  ;  "  the  countess  is  ex 
ulting." 

He  now  called  to  mind  the  words  of  her  asseveration,  that 
her  child  was  with  the  dead.  Turning  suddenly  to  the  soldiers 
he  ordered  them  to  search  the  sepulchres.  "  If  you  find  him 
not,"  said  he,  "  drag  forth  the  bones  of  that  wanton  Cava,  that 
they  may  be  burnt,  and  the  ashes  scattered  to  the  winds." 

The  soldiers  searched  among  the  tombs  and  found  that  of 
Florinda  partly  open.  Within  lay  the  boy  in  the  sound  sleep 
of  childhood,  and  one  of  the  soldiers  took  him  gently  in  his 
arms  to  bear  him  to  the  emir. 


LEGEND    OF    COUNT    JULIAN    AND    HIS    FAMILY.  201 

When  the  countess  beheld  that  her  child  was  discovered, 
she  rushed  into  the  presence  of  Alahor,  and,  forgetting  all  her 
pride,  threw  herself  upon  her  knees  before  him. 

"  Mercy  I  mercy  !  "  cried  she  in  piercing  accents,  "  mercy  on 
my  son  —  my  only  child  !  0  Emir !  listen  to  a  mother's  prayer 
and  my  lips  shall  kiss  thy  feet.  As  thou  art  merciful  to  him  so 
may  the  most  high  God  have  mercy  upon  thee,  and  heap  bless 
ings  on  thy  head." 

"  Bear  that  frantic  woman  hence,"  said  the  emir,  "  but  guard 
her  well." 

The  countess  was  dragged  away  by  the  soldiery,  without 
regard  to  her  struggles  and  her  cries,  and  confined  in  a  dun 
geon  of  the  citadel. 

The  child  was  now  brought  to  the  emir.  He  had  been 
awakened  by  the  tumult,  but  gazed  fearlessly  on  the  stern 
countenances  of  the  soldiers.  Had  the  heart  of  the  emir  been 
capable  of  pity,  it  would  have  been  touched  by  the  tender 
youth  and  innocent  beauty  of  the  child ;  but  his  heart  was  as 
the  nether  millstone,  and  he  was  bent  upon  the  destruction  of 
the  whole  family  of  Julian.  Calling  to  him  the  astrologer,  he 
gave  the  child  into  his  charge  with  a  secret  command.  The 
withered  son  of  the  desert  took  the  boy  by  the  hand  and  led 
him  up  the  winding  staircase  of  a  tower.  When  they  reached 
the  summit,  Yuza  placed  him  on  the  battlements. 

"  Cling  not  to  me,  my  child,"  said  he ;  "  there  is  no  danger." 
"  Father,  I  fear  not,"  said  the  undaunted  boy ;  "  yet  it  is  a  won 
drous  height ! " 

The  child  looked  around  with  delighted  eyes.  The  breeze 
blew  his  curling  locks  from  about  his  face,  and  his  cheek 
glowed  at  the  boundless  prospect ;  for  the  tower  was  reared 
upon  that  lofty  promontory  on  which  Hercules  founded  one  of 

VOL.  I.  10 


202  LEGEND    OF    COUNT    JULIAN    AND    HIS    FAMILY. 

his  pillars.  The  surges  of  the  sea  were  heard  far  below,  beat 
ing  upon  the  rocks,  the  sea-gull  screamed  and  wheeled  about 
the  foundations  of  the  tower,  and  the  sails  of  lofty  caraccas 
were  as  mere  specks  on  the  bosom  of  the  deep. 

"  Dost  thou  know  yonder  land  beyond  the  blue  water  ?  "  said 
Yuza. 

"  It  is  Spain,"  replied  the  boy  ;  "  it  is  the  land  of  my  father 
and  my  mother." 

"  Then  stretch  forth  thy  hands  and  bless  it,  my  child,"  said 
the  astrologer. 

The  boy  let  go  his  hold  of  the  wall ;  and,  as  he  stretched  forth 
his  hands,  the  aged  son  of  Ishmael,  exerting  all  the  strength  of 
his  withered  limbs,  suddenly  pushed  him  over  the  battlements. 
He  fell  headlong  from  the  top  of  that  tall  tower,  and  not  a 
bone  in  his  tender  frame  but  was  crushed  upon  the  rocks  be 
neath. 

Alahor  came  to  the  foot  of  the  winding  stairs. 

"  Is  the  boy  safe  ? "  cried  he. 

"  He  is  safe,"  replied  Yuza ;  "  come  and  behold  the  truth 
with  thine  own  eyes." 

The  emir  ascended  the  tower  and  looked  over  the  battle 
ments,  and  beheld  the  body  of  the  child,  a  shapeless  mass  on 
the  rocks  far  below,  and  the  sea-gulls  hovering  about  it ;  and 
he  gave  orders  that  it  should  be  thrown  into  the  sea,  which  was 
done. 

On  the  following  morning  the  countess  was  led  forth  from 
her  dungeon  into  the  public  square.  She  knew  of  the  death 
of  her  child,  and  that  her  own  death  was  at  hand,  but  she 
neither  wept  nor  supplicated.  Her  hair  was  dishevelled,  her 
eyes  were  haggard  with  watching,  and  her  cheek  was  as  the 
monumental  stone  ;  but  there  were  the  remains  of  commanding 


LEGEND    OF    COUNT    JULIAN    AND    HIS    FAMILY.  203 

beauty  in  her  countenance,  and  the  majesty  of  her  presence 
awed  even  the  rabble  into  respect. 

A  multitude  of  Christian  prisoners  were  then  brought  forth, 
and  Alahor  cried  out :  "  Behold  the  wife  of  Count  Julian  !  be 
hold  one  of  that  traitorous  family  which  has  brought  ruin  upon 
yourselves  and  upon  your  country ! "  And  he  ordered  that 
they  should  stone  her  to  death.  But  the  Christians  drew  back 
with  horror  from  the  deed,  and  said,  "  In  the  hand  of  God  is 
vengeance  ;  let  not  her  blood  be  upon  our  heads."  Upon  this 
the  emir  swore  with  horrid  imprecations  that  whoever  of  the 
captives  refused  should  himself  be  stoned  to  death.  So  the 
cruel  order  was  executed,  and  the  Countess  Frandina  perished 
by  the  hands  of  her  countrymen.  Having  thus  accomplished 
his  barbarous  errand,  the  emir  embarked  for  Spain,  and  or 
dered  the  citadel  of  Ceuta  to  be  set  on  fire,  and  crossed  the 
straits  at  night  by  the  light  of  its  towering  flames. 

The  death  of  Count  Julian,  which  took  place  not  long  after, 
closed  the  tragic  story  of  his  family.  How  he  died  remains 
involved  in  doubt.  Some  assert  that  the  cruel  Alahor  pursued 
him  to  his  retreat  among  the  mountains,  and,  having  taken  him 
prisoner,  beheaded  him  ;  others  that  the  Moors  confined  him  in 
a  dungeon,  and  put  an  end  to  his  life  with  lingering  torments  ; 
while  others  affirm  that  the  tower  of  the  castle  of  Marcuello, 
near  Huesca,  in  Aragon,  in  which  he  took  refuge,  fell  on  him 
and  crushed  him  to  pieces.  All  agree  that  his  latter  end  was 
miserable  in  the  extreme  and  his  death  violent.  The  curse 
of  Heaven,  which  had  thus  pursued  him  to  the  grave,  was  ex 
tended  to  the  very  place  which  had  given  him  shelter ;  for  we 
are  told  that  the  castle  is  no  longer  inhabited  on  account  of  the 
strange  and  horrible  noises  that  are  heard  in  it ;  and  that  vis 
ions  of  armed  men  are  seen  above  it  in  the  air ;  which  are  sup- 


204  LEGEND    OF    COUNT    JULIAN    AND    HIS    FAMILY. 

posed  to  be  the  troubled  spirits  of  the  apostate  Christians  who 
favored  the  cause  of  the  traitor. 

In  after-times  a  stone  sepulchre  was  shown,  outside  of  the 
chapel  of  the  castle,  as  the  tomb  of  Count  Julian  ;  but  the 
traveller  and  the  pilgrim  avoided  it,  or  bestowed  upon  it  a  mal 
ediction  ;  and  the  name  of  Julian  has  remained  a  by-word  and 
a  scorn  in  the  land  for  the  warning  of  all  generations.  Such 
ever  be  the  lot  of  him  who  betrays  his  country. 

Here  end  the  legends  of  the  Conquest  of  Spain. 

WRITTEN  IN  THE  ALHAMBEA,  June  10, 1829. 


NOTE  TO  THE  PRECEDING  LEGEND. 


EL  licenciado  Ardevines  (Lib.  2,  c.  8)  dize  que  dichos  Duendos 
caseros,  o  los  del  aire,  hazen  aparacer  exercitos  y  peleas,  como  lo  que 
se  cuenta  por  tradicion  (y  aun  algunos  personas  lo  deponen  como  tes- 
tigos  de  vista)  de  la  torre  y  castello  de  Marcuello,  lugar  al  pie  de  las 
montanas  de  Aragon  (aora  inhabitable,  por  las  grandes  y  espantables 
ruidos,  que  en  el  se  oyen)  donde  se  retraxo  el  Conde  Don  Julian, 
causa  de  la  perdicion  de  Espana ;  sobre  el  qual  castillo,  deze  se  ven  en 
el  aire  ciertas  visiones,  como  de  soldados,  que  el  vulgo  dize  son  los  cav- 
alleros  y  gente  que  le  favorecian. 

Vide  "  el  Ente  Dislucidado,"  por  Fray  Antonio  de  Fuentalapena, 
Capuchin.  Seccion  3,  Subseccion  5,  Instancia  8,  Num.  644. 

As  readers  unversed  in  the  Spanish  language  may  wish  to  know  the 
testimony  of  the  worthy  and  discreet  Capuchin  friar,  Antonio  de  Fuen 
talapena,  we  subjoin  a  translation  of  it :  — 

"  The  licentiate  Ardevines  (Book  II.,  chap.  8)  says  that  the  said 
house  fairies  (or  familiar  spirits),  or  those  of  the  air,  cause  the  appari- 


LEGEND    OF    COUNT    JULIAN    AND    HIS    FAMILY.  205 

tions  of  armies  and  battles,  —  such  as  those  which  are  related  in  tradi 
tion  (and  some  persons  even  depose  to  the  truth  of  them  as  eye-wit 
nesses),  of  the  town  and  castle  of  Marcuello,  a  fortress  at  the  foot  of 
the  mountains  of  Aragon  (at  present  uninhabitable,  on  account  of  the 
great  and  frightful  noises  heard  in  it),  the  place  of  retreat  of  Count 
Don  Julian,  the  cause  of  the  perdition  of  Spain.  It  is  said  that  cer 
tain  apparitions  of  soldiers  are  seen  in  the  air,  which  the  vulgar  say 
are  those  of  the  courtiers  and  people  who  aided  him." 


THE    LEGEND   OF  PELAYO. 


[THE  "Legend  of  Pelayo,"  a  fragment  of  which  was  printed  in  "  The  Spirit 
of  the  Fair,"  in  1864,  and  another,  entitled  "  Pelayo  and  the  Merchant's  Daugh 
ter,"  in  "  The  Knickerbocker,"  in  1840,  is  now  first  published  entire.— ED.] 


THE  LEGEND  OF  PELAYO. 


CHAPTER  I. 

OBSCURITY   OP   THE    ANCIENT     CHRONICLES. THE     LOVES    OF 

DONA    LUCIA    AND    THE    DUKE    FA  VILA. BIRTH  OF   PELAYO, 

AND   WHAT  HAPPENED    THEREUPON  ;    HIS    EARLY    FORTUNES, 
AND  HIS  TUTELAGE  UNDER  THE  VETERAN  COUNT  GRAFESES. 

IT  is  the  common  lamentation  of  Spanish  historians,  that,  in 
the  obscure  and  melancholy  space  of  time  which  succeeded  the 
perdition  of  their  country,  its  history  is  a  mere  wilderness  of 
dubious  facts,  wild  exaggerations,  and  evident  fables.  Many 
learned  men  in  cells  and  cloisters  have  passed  their  lives  in 
the  weary  and  fruitless  task  of  attempting  to  correct  incongru 
ous  events  and  reconcile  absolute  contradictions.  The  worthy 
Jesuit  Pedro  Abarca  confesses  that  for  more  than  forty  years, 
during  which  he  had  been  employed  in  theological  contro 
versies,  he  had  never  found  any  questions  so  obscure  and  inex 
plicable  as  those  rising  out  of  this  portion  of  Spanish  history  ; 
and  that  the  only  fruit  of  an  indefatigable,  prolix,  and  even 
prodigious  study  of  the  subject,  was  a  melancholy  and  mortify 
ing  indecision.* 

Let  us  console  ourselves,  therefore,  in  our  attempts  to  thread 
this  mazy  labyrinth  with  the  reflection  that,  if  we  occasionally 
err  and  become  bewildered,  we  do  but  share  the  errors  and 

*  Abarca,  Anales  de  Aragon.     Ante  regno,  §  2. 
10* 


210  THE  LEGEND  OF  PELATO. 

perplexities  of  our  graver  and  more  laborious  predecessors ; 
and  that,  if  we  occasionally  stray  into  the  flowery  by-ways  of 
fanciful  tradition,  we  are  as  likely  to  arrive  at  the  truth  as 
those  who  travel  by  more  dry  and  dusty  but  not  more  authen 
ticated  paths. 

We  premise  these  suggestions  before  proceeding  to  cull, 
from  the  midst  of  the  fables  and  extravagances  of  ancient 
chronicles,  a  few  particulars  of  the  story  of  Pelayo,  the  deliv 
erer  of  Spain  ;  whose  name,  like  that  of  William  Wallace,  the 
hero  of  Scotland,  will  ever  be  linked  with  the  glory  of  his  coun 
try  ;  but  linked,  like  his,  by  a  band  in  which  fact  and  fiction 
are  indissolubly  mingled. 

In  the  ensuing  pages  it  is  our  intention  to  give  little  more 
than  an  abstract  of  an  old  chronicle  teeming  with  extrava 
gances,  yet  containing  facts  of  admitted  credibility,  and  pre 
senting  pictures  of  Spanish  life,  partly  sylvan,  partly  chival 
rous,  which  have  all  the  quaint  merit  of  the  curious  delinea 
tions  in  old  tapestry. 

The  origin  of  Pelayo  is  wrapped  in  great  obscurity,  though 
all  writers  concur  in  making  him  of  royal  Gothic  lineage.  The 
chronicle  in  question  makes  Pelayo  the  offspring  of  a  love 
affair  in  the  court  of  Ezica,  one  of  the  last  of  the  Gothic  kings, 
who  held  his  seat  of  government  at  Toledo.  Among  the  noble 
damsels  brought  up  in  the  royal  household  was  the  beautiful 
Lucia,  niece  and  maid  of  honor  to  the  queen.  A  mutual  pas 
sion  subsisted  between  her  and  Favila,  the  youthful  Duke  of 
Cantabria,  one  of  the  most  accomplished  cavaliers  of  the  king 
dom.  The  duke,  however,  had  a  powerful  rival  in  the  Prince 
Witiza,  son  to  the  king,  and  afterwards  known,  for  the  profli 
gacy  of  his  reign,  by  the  name  of  Witiza  the  Wicked.  The 
prince,  to  rid  himself  of  a  favored  rival,  procured  the  banish- 


THE  LEGEND  OF  PELAYO.  211 

ment  of  Favila  to  his  estates  in  Cantabria ;  not,  however,  before 
he  had  been  happy  in  his  loves  in  stolen  interviews  with  the 
fair  Lucia.  The  cautious  chronicler,  however,  lets  us  know 
that  a  kind  of  espousal  took  place,  by  the  lovers  plighting  their 
faith  with  solemn  vows  before  an  image  of  the  Virgin,  and  as 
the  image  gave  no  sign  of  dissent  by  way  of  forbidding  the 
banns,  the  worthy  chronicler  seems  to  consider  them  as  good  as 
man  and  wife. 

After  the  departure  of  the  duke,  the  prince  renewed  his  suit 
with  stronger  hope  of  success,  but  met  with  a  repulse  which 
converted  his  love  into  implacable  and  vengeful  hate. 

The  beautiful  Lucia  continued  in  attendance  on  the  queen, 
but  soon  became  sensible  of  the  consequences  of  her  secret 
and  informal  nuptials  so  tacitly  sanctioned  by  the  Virgin.  In 
the  process  of  time,  with  great  secrecy,  she  gave  birth  to  a 
male  child,  whom  she  named  Pelayo.  For  fifteen  days  the  in 
fant  was  concealed  in  her  apartment,  and  she  trusted  all  was 
safe,  when,  to  her  great  terror,  she  learnt  that  her  secret  had 
been  betrayed  to  Prince  Witiza,  and  that  search  was  to  be 
made  for  the  evidence  of  her  weakness. 

The  dread  of  public  scorn  and  menace  of  a  cruel  death  over 
came  even  the  feelings  of  a  mother.  Through  means  of  a 
trusty  female  of  her  chamber  she  procured  a  little  ark,  so  con 
structed  as  to  be  impervious  to  water.  She  then  arrayed  her 
infant  in  costly  garments,  wrapping  it  in  a  mantle  of  rich 
brocade,  and  when  about  to  part  with  it,  kissed  it  many  times, 
and  laid  it  in  her  lap,  and  wept  over  it.  At  length  the  child 
was  borne  away  by  the  Duena  of  her  chamber  and  a  faithful 
handmaid.  It  was  dark  midnight  when  they  conveyed  it  to 
the  borders  of  the  Tagus,  where  it  washes  the  rocky  founda 
tions  of  Toledo.  Covering  it  from  the  dew  and  night  air,  they 


212  THE  LEGEND  OF  PELAYO. 

committed  the  ark  to  the  eddying  current,  which  soon  swept 
it  from  the  shore.  As  it  glided  down  the  rapid  stream,  says 
the  ancient  chronicle,  they  could  mark  its  course  even  in  the 
darkness  of  the  night ;  for  it  was  surrounded  by  a  halo  of 
celestial  light.*  They  knew  not  how  to  account  for  this  prodigy, 
says  the  same  authentic  writer,  until  they  remembered  that 
the  mother  had  blessed  the  child  with  the  sign  of  the  cross, 
and  had  baptized  it  with  her  own  hand.  Others,  however,  ex 
plain  this  marvel  differently ;  for  in  this  child,  say  they,  was 
centred  the  miraculous  light  which  was  afterwards  to  shine 
forth  with  comfort  and  deliverance  in  the  darkest  hour  of 
Spain. 

The  chronicle  quoted  by  Fray  Antonio  Agapida,  goes  on  to 
state  what  befell  the  fair  Lucia  after  the  departure  of  the  child. 
Her  apartments  were  searched  at  early  dawn,  but  no  proof  ap 
peared  to  substantiate  the  charges  made  against  her.  The 
Prince  Witiza  persisted  in  accusing  her  publicly  of  having 
brought  disgrace  upon  her  line  by  her  frailty.  A  cavalier  of 
the  court,  suborned  by  him,  supported  the  accusation  by  an  oath, 
and  offered  to  maintain  the  truth  of  it  by  his  sword.  A  month 
was  granted  by  the  king  for  the  afflicted  lady  to  find  a  champion, 
and  a  day  appointed  for  the  lists  ;  if  none  appeared,  or  if  her 
champion  were  overcome,  she  was  to  be  considered  guilty  and 
put  to  death.  The  day  arrived,  the  accusing  knight  was  on 
the  ground  in  complete  armor,  proclamation  was  made,  but  no 
one  stepped  forward  to  defend  the  lady.  At  length  a  trumpet 
sounded ;  an  unknown  knight  with  visor  closed,  entered  the 
lists.  The  combat  was  long  and  doubtful,  for  it  would  appear 
as  if  the  Holy  Virgin  was  not  perfectly  satisfied  with  the  nature 

*  El  Moro  Rasis,  La  Destruycion  de  Espana.    Rojas,  Hist.   Toledo,  p.  2,  L. 
4,  cl. 


THE  LEGEND  OF  PELAYO.  213 

of  the  espousals  which  had  taken  place  before  her  image.  At 
length  the  accusing  knight  was  overcome  and  slain,  to  the 
great  joy  of  the  court  and  all  the  spectators,  and  the  beautiful 
Lucia  was  pronounced  as  immaculate  as  the  Virgin,  her  pro 
tectress. 

The  unknown  champion  of  course  proved  to  be  the  Duke  of 
Cantabria.  He  obtained  a  pardon  of  the  king  for  returning 
from  banishment  without  the  royal  permission  ;  what  is  more, 
he  obtained  permission  formally  to  espouse  the  lady  whose 
honor  he  had  so  gallantly,  established.  Their  nuptials  were 
solemnized  in  due  form  and  with  great  magnificence,  after 
which  he  took  his  blooming  bride  to  his  castle  in  Cantabria,  to 
be  out  of  reach  of  the  persecutions  of  the  Prince  Witiza. 

Having  made  this  brief  abstract  of  what  occupies  many 
a  wordy  page  in  the  ancient  chronicle,  we  return  to  look  after 
the  fortunes  of  the  infant  Pelayo,  when  launched  upon  the 
waves  in  the  darkness  of  the  night. 

The  ark  containing  this  future  hope  of  Spain,  continues  the 
old  chronicle,  floated  down  the  current  of  the  Golden  Tagus, 
where  that  renowned  river  winds  through  the  sylvan  solitudes 
of  Estremadura.  '  All  night,  and  throughout  the  succeeding 
day  and  the  following  night,  it  made  its  tranquil  way ;  the 
stream  ceased  its  wonted  turbulence  and  dimpled  round  it ; 
the  swallow  circled  round  it  with  lively  chirp  and  sportive 
wing,  the  breezes  whispered  musically  among  the  reeds,  which 
bowed  their  tall  heads  as  it  passed :  such  was  the  bland 
influence  of  the  protection  of  the  Virgin. 

Now,  so  it  happened  that  at  this  time  there  lived  in  a 
remote  part  of  Estremadura  an  ancient  cavalier,  a  hale  and 
hearty  bachelor,  named  the  Count  Grafeses.  He  had  been  a 
warrior  in  his  youth,  but  now,  in  a  green  and  vigorous  old  age, 


214  THE    LEGEND    OF    PELAYO. 

had  retired  from  camp  and  court  to  a  domain  on  the  banks  of 
the  Tagus,  inherited  from  his  Gothic  ancestors.  His  great  de 
light  was  in  the  chase,  which  he  followed  successfully  in  the 
vast  forests  of  Estremadura.  Every  morning  heard  the  woods 
resounding  with  the  melody  of  hound  and  horn ;  and  the 
heads  of  stags,  of  wolves,  and  wild  boars  vied  in  his  castle  hall 
with  the  helms  and  bucklers  and  lances,  and  the  trophies  of 
his  youthful  and  martial  days. 

The  jovial  count  was  up  at  early  dawn  pursuing  a  boar  in 
the  thick  forest  bordering  the  Tagus^  when  he  beheld  the  little 
ark  floating  down  the  stream.  He  ordered  one  of  his  hunts 
men  to  strip  and  enter  the  river  and  bring  the  ark  to  land. 
On  opening  it,  he  was  surprised  to  behold  within  an  infant 
wrapped  in  costly  robes,  but  pale  and  wan,  and  apparently  al 
most  exhausted.  Beside  it  was  a  purse  of  gold,  and  on  its 
bosom  a  cross  of  rubies  and  a  parchment  scroll,  on  which  was 
written,  "  Let  this  infant  be  honorably  entertained ;  he  is  of 
illustrious  lineage  ;  his  name  is  Pelayo." 

The  good  count  shrewdly  surmised  the  cause  of  this  perilous 
exposure  of  a  helpless  infant.  He  had  a  heart  kind  and  indul 
gent  toward  the  weaker  sex,  as  the  heart 'of  a  genial  old 
bachelor  is  prone  to  be  ;  and  while  he  looked  with  infinite  be 
nevolence  upon  the  beauteous  child,  felt  a  glow  of  compassion 
for  the  unknown  mother.  Commanding  his  huntsman  to 
be  silent  as  to  what  he  had  witnessed,  he  took  the  infant  in 
his  arms  and  returned  with  it  to  his  castle. 

Now,  so  it  happened  that  the  wife  of  his  steward  had,  about 
a  week  before,  been  delivered  of  a  child  which  lived  but  a  very 
few  days,  leaving  the  mother  in  great  affliction.  The  count 
gave  her  the  infant,  and  the  money  found  with  it,  and  told  her 
the  story  of  the  ark,  with  a  strong  injunction  of  secrecy,  en- 


THE  LEGEND  OF  PELATO.  215 

treating  her  to  take  charge  of  the  child  and  rear  it  as  her  own. 
The  good  woman  doubted  the  story,  and  strongly  suspected  her 
master  of  having  fallen  into  an  error  in  his  old  age ;  she  re 
ceived  the  infant,  however,  as  a  gift  from  Heaven,  sent  to  con 
sole  her  in  her  affliction,  and  pressed  it  with  tears  to  her 
bosom,  for  she  thought  of  the  child  she  had  lost. 

Pelayo,  therefore,  was  reared  on  the  banks  of  the  Tagus  as 
the  offspring  of  the  steward  and  his  wife,  and  the  adopted 
son  of  the  count.  That  veteran  cavalier  bore  in  mind,  how 
ever,  that  his  youthful  charge  was  of  illustrious  lineage,  and 
took  delight  in  accomplishing  him  in  all  things  befitting  a  per 
fect  hidalgo.  He  placed  him  astride  of  a  horse  almost  as  soon 
as  he  could  walk  ;  a  lance  and  cross-bow  were  his  earliest  play 
things,  and  he  was  taught  to  hunt  the  small  game  of  the  forest 
until  strong  enough  to  accompany  the  count  in  his  more  rug 
ged  sports.  Thus  he  was  inured  to  all  kinds  of  hardy  exercises, 
and  rendered  heedless  of  danger  and  fatigue.  Nor  was  the 
discipline  of  his  mind  neglected.  Under  the  instructions  of  a 
neighboring  friar,  he  learned  to  read  in  a  manner  that  sur 
passed  the  erudition  of  his  foster-father ;  for  he  could  con  more 
correctly  all  the  orisons  of  the  Virgin,  and  listened  to  mass,  and 
attended  all  the  ceremonies  of  the  Church,  with  a  discretion  truly 
exemplary.  Some  ancient  chroniclers  have  gone  so  far  as  to 
say  that  he  even  excelled  in  clerkly  craft ;  but  this  is  most 
likely  a  fond  exaggeration. 

Time  glided  by.  King  Ezica  was  gathered  to  his  fathers,  and 
his  son  Witiza  reigned  in  his  stead.  All  the  chivalry  of  the 
kingdom  was  summoned  to  Toledo  to  give  splendor  to  his 
coronation.  The  good  old  count  prepared,  among  the  rest,  to 
appear  at  a  court  from  which  he  had  long  been  absent.  His 
ancient  serving-men  were  arrayed  in  the  antiquated  garbs  in 


216  THE    LEGEND    OF    PELAYO. 

which  they  had  figured  in  his  days  of  youthful  gallantry,  and 
his  household  troops  in  the  battered  armor  which  had  seen 
hard  service  in  the  field,  but  which  had  long  rusted  in  the 
armory.  He  determined  to  take  with  him  his  adopted  son 
Pelayo,  now  seven  years  of  age.  A  surcoat  was  made  for  him 
from  the  mantle  of  rich  brocade  in  which  he  had  been  found 
wrapped  in  the  ark.  A  palfrey  was  also  caparisoned  for  him 
in  warlike  style.  It  was  a  rare  sight,  says  the  old  chronicler,  to 
see  the  antiquated  chivalry  of  the  good  Count  Grafeses  parading 
across  the  bridge  of  the  Tagus,  or  figuring  in  the  streets  of 
Toledo,  in  contrast  to  the  silken  and  shining  retinues  of  the 
more  modern  courtiers  ;  but  the  veteran  was  hailed  with  joy  by 
many  of  the  ancient  nobles,  his  early  companions  in  arms. 
The  populace,  too,  when  they  beheld  the  youthful  Pelayo 
ambling  by  his  side  on  his  gentle  palfrey,  were  struck  with  the 
chivalrous  demeanor  of  the  boy,  and  the  perfect  manner  in 
which  he  managed  his  steed. 


THE  LEGEND  OF  PELAYO.  217 


CHAPTER  II. 

WHAT    HAPPENED    TO    PELAYO    AT   THE    COURT    OF    WITIZA. 

AMONG  the  nobles,  continues  the  old  chronicle,  who  ap 
peared  in  Toledo  to  do  homage  to  the  new  king  was  Favila, 
Duke  of  Cantabria.  He  left  his  wife  in  their  castle  among 
the  mountains,  —  for  the  fair  Lucia  was  still  in  the  meridian 
of  her  beauty,  and  he  feared  lest  the  sight  of  her  might  re 
vive  the  passion  of  Witiza.  They  had  no  other  fruit  of  their 
union  but  a  little  daughter  of  great  beauty,  called  Lucinda,  and 
they  still  mourned  in  secret  the  loss  of  their  first-born.  The 
Duke  was  related  to  Count  Grafeses ;  and  when  he  first 
beheld  Pelayo  his  heart  throbbed,  he  knew  not  why,  and  he 
followed  him  with  his  eyes  in  all  his  youthful  sports.  The 
more  he  beheld  him  the  more  his  heart  yearned  toward  him, 
and  he  entreated  the  count  to  grant  him  the  youth  for  a  time 
as  a  page,  to  be  reared  by  him  in  all  the  offices  of  chivalry, 
as  was  the  custom  in  the  houses  of  warlike  nobles  in  those 
days. 

The  count  willingly  complied  with  his  request,  knowing  the 
great  prowess  of  the  Duke  of  Cantabria,  who  was  accounted  a 
mirror  of  knightly  virtue.  "  For  my  own  part,"  said  he,  ''  I  am 
at  present  but  little  capable  of  instructing  the  boy ;  for  many 
years  have  passed  since  I  gave  up  the  exercise  of  arms,  and 
little  am  I  worth  at  present  excepting  to  blow  the  horn  and 
follow  the  hound." 


218  THE  LEGEND  OF  PELAYO. 

When  the  ceremonies  of  the  coronation  were  over,  there 
fore,  the  Duke  of  Cantabria  departed  for  his  castle,  accom 
panied  by  the  young  Pelayo  and  the  count,  for  the  good 
old  cavalier  could  not  yet  tear  himself  from  his  adopted 
child. 

As  they  drew  near  the  castle,  the  duchess  came  forth  with 
a  grand  retinue  ;  for  they  were  as  petty  sovereigns  in  their 
domains.  The  duke  presented  Pelayo  to  her  as  her  page, 
and  the  youth  knelt  to  kiss  her  hand,  but  she  raised  him  and 
kissed  him  on  the  forehead ;  and  as  she  regarded  him  the 
tears  stood  in  her  eyes. 

"  God  bless  thee,  gentle  page,"  said  she,  "  and  preserve  thee 
to  the  days  of  manhood ;  for  thou  hast  in  thee  the  promise 
of  an  accomplished  cavalier ;  joyful  must  be  the  heart  of  the 
mother  who  can  boast  of  such  a  son ! " 

On  that  day,  when  the  dinner  was  served  with  becoming 
state,  Pelayo  took  his  place  among  the  other  pages  in  attend 
ance,  who  were  all  children  of  nobles  ;  but  the  duchess  called 
him  to  her  as .  her  peculiar  page.  He  was  arrayed  in  his  sur- 
coat  of  brocade,  made  from  the  mantle  in  which  he  had  been 
folded  in  the  ark,  and  round  his  neck  hung  the  cross  of 
rubies. 

As  the  duchess  beheld  these  things,  she  turned  pale  and 
trembled.  "  What  is  the  name  of  thy  son,"  said  she  to  Count 
Grafeses.  "  His  name,"  replied  the  count,  "  is  Pelayo."  "  Tell 
me  of  a  truth,"  demanded  she,  still  more  earnestly,  "  is  this 
indeed  thy  son  ? "  The  count  was  not  prepared  for  so 
direct  a  question.  "  Of  a  truth,"  said  he,  "  he  is  but  the  son 
of  my  adoption ;  yet  is  he  of  noble  lineage."  The  duchess 
again  addressed  him  with  tenfold  solemnity.  "  On  thy  honor 
.  as  a  knight,  do  not  trifle  with  me :  who  are  the  parents  of  this 


THE  LEGEND  OF  PELAYO.  219 

child  ? "  "  The  count,  moved  by  her  agitation,  briefly  told 
the  story  of  the  ark.  When  the  duchess  heard  it  she  gave 
a  great  sigh  and  fell  as  one  dead.  On  reviving,  she  embraced 
Pelayo  with  mingled  tears  and  kisses,  and  proclaimed  him  as 
her  long-lost  son. 


220  THE  LEGEND  OF  PELAYO. 


CHAPTER  III. 

HOW  PELATO  LIVED  AMONG  THE  MOUNTAINS  OP  CANTABRIA. 
HIS  ADVENTURE  WITH  THE  NEEDY  HIDALGO  OF  GAS- 
CONY  AND  THE  RICH  MERCHANT  OF  BORDEAUX. DIS 
COURSE  OF  THE  HOLY  HERMIT. 

THE  authentic  Agapida  passes  over  many  pages  of  the 
ancient  chronicle  narrating  the  early  life  of  Pelayo,  present 
ing  nothing  of  striking  importance.  His  father,  the  Duke  of 
Cantabria,  was  dead,  and  he  was  carefully  reared  by  his  widowed 
mother  at  a  castle  in  the  Pyrenees,  out  of  the  reach  of  the  dan 
gers  and  corruptions  of  the  court.  Here  that  hardy  and  chival 
rous  education  was  continued  which  had  been  commenced  by 
his  veteran  foster-father  on  the  banks  of  the  Tagus.  The  rug 
ged  mountains  around  abounded  with  the  bear,  the  wild  boar, 
and  the  wolf,  and  in  hunting  these  he  prepared  himself  for 
the  conflicts  of  the  field. 

The  old  chronicler  records  an  instance  of  his  early  prowess 
in  the  course  of  one  of  his  hunting  expeditions  on  the  im 
mediate  borders  of  France.  The  mountain  passes  and  the 
adjacent  lands  were  much  infested  and  vexed  by  marauders 
from  Gascony.  The  Gascons,  says  the  worthy  Agapida,  were 
a  people  ready  to  lay  their  hands  upon  everything  they  met 
They  used  smooth  words  when  necessary,  but  force  when  they 
dared.  Though  poor,  they  were  proud ;  there  was  not  one 
who  did  not  plume  himself  upon  being  a  hijo  de  algo,  or  son 


THE  LEGEND  OF  PELATO.  221 

of  somebody.  Whenever  Pelayo,  therefore,  hunted  on  the 
borders  infested  by  these  people,  he  was  attended  by  a  page 
conducting  his  horse,  with  his  buckler  and  lance,  to  be  at 
hand  in  case  of  need. 

At  the  head  of  a  band  of  fourteen  of  these  self-styled 
hidalgos  of  Gascony  was  a  broken-down  cavalier  by  the  name 
of  Arnaud.  He  and  four  of  his  comrades  were  well  armed 
and  mounted,  the  rest  were  mere  scamper-grounds  on  foot 
armed  with  darts  and  javelins.  This  band  was  the  terror  of 
the  border ;  here  to  day,  gone  to-morrow ;  sometimes  in  one 
pass  of  the  mountains,  sometimes  in  another ;  sometimes 
they  made  descents  into  Spain,  harassing  the  roads  and  ma 
rauding  the  country,  and  were  over  the  mountains  again  and 
into  France  before  a  force  could  be  sent  against  them. 

It  so  happened  that  while  Pelayo  with  a  number  of  his 
huntsmen  was  on  the  border,  this  Gascon  cavalier  and  his 
crew  were  on  the  maraud.  They  had  heard  of  a  rich  mer 
chant  of  Bordeaux  who  was  to  pass  through  the  mountains 
on  his  way  to  one  of  the  ports  of  Biscay,  with  which  several 
of  his  vessels  traded,  and  that  he  would  carry  with  him  much 
money  for  the  purchase  of  merchandise.  They  determined  to 
ease  him  of  his  money-bags ;  for,  being  hidalgos  who  lived 
by  the  sword,  they  considered  all  peaceful  men  of  trade  as 
lawful  spoil,  sent  by  Heaven  for  the  supply  of  men  of  valor 
and  gentle  blood. 

As  they  waylaid  a  lonely  defile  they  beheld  the  merchant 
approaching.  He  was  a  fair  and  portly  man,  whose  looks 
bespoke  the  good  cheer  of  his  native  city.  He  was  mounted 
on  a  stately  and  well-fed  steed ;  beside  him  on  palfreys  paced 
his  wife,  a  comely  dame,  and  his  daughter,  a  damsel  of  mar 
riageable  age,  and  fair  to  look  upon.  A  young  man,  his  nephew, 


222  THE  LEGEND  OF  PELATO. 

who  acted  as  his  clerk,  rode  with  them,  and  a  single  domestic 
followed. 

When  the  travellers  had  advanced  within  the  defile,  the 
bandeleros  rushed  from  behind  a  rock  and  set  upon  them. 
The  nephew  fought  valiantly  and  was  slain  ;  the  servant  fled  ; 
the  merchant,  though  little  used  to  the  exercise  of  arms, 
and  of  unwieldy  bulk,  made  courageous  defence,  having  his 
wife  and  daughter  and  his  money-bags  at  hazard.  He  was 
wounded  in  two  places  and  overpowered. 

The  freebooters  were  disappointed  at  not  finding  the  booty 
they  expected,  and  putting  their  swords  to  the  breast  of  the 
merchant,  demanded  where  was  the  money  with  which  he  was 
to  traffic  in  Biscay.  The  trembling  merchant  informed  them 
that  a  trusty  servant  was  following  him  at  no  great  distance 
with  a  stout  hackney  laden  with  bags  of  money.  Overjoyed 
at  this  intelligence,  they  bound  their  captives  to  trees  and 
awaited  the  arrival  of  the  treasure. 

In  the  mean  time  Pelayo  was  on  a  hill  near  a  narrow  pass, 
awaiting  a  wild  boar  which  his  huntsmen  were  to  rouse. 
While  thus  posted,  the  merchant's  servant,  who  had  escaped, 
came  running  in  breathless  terror,  but  fell  on  his  knees  before 
Pelayo  and  craved  his  life  in  the  most  piteous  terms,  suppos 
ing  him  another  of  the  robbers.  It  was  some  time  before 
he  could  be  persuaded  of  his  mistake  and  made  to  tell  the 
story  of  the  robbery.  When  Pelayo  heard  the  tale,  he  per 
ceived  that  the  robbers  in  question  must  be  the  Gascon 
hidalgos  upon  the  scamper.  Taking  his  armor  from  the 
page,  he  put  on  his  helmet,  slung  his  buckler  round  his  neck, 
took  lance  in  hand,  and  mounting  his  horse,  compelled  the 
trembling  servant  to  guide  him  to  the  scene  of  the  robbery. 
At  the  same  time  he  dispatched  his  page  to  summon  as  many 
of  his  huntsmen  as  possible  to  his  assistance. 


THE  LEGEND  OF  PELATO.  223 

When  the  robbers  saw  Pelayo  advancing  through  the 
forest,  the  sun  sparkling  upon  his  rich  armor,  and  saw  that 
he  was  attended  but  by  a  single  page,  they  considered  him  a 
new  prize,  and  Arnaud  and  two  of  his  companions  mounting 
their  horses  advanced  to  meet  him.  Pelayo  put  himself  in 
a  narrow  pass  between  two  rocks,  where  he  could  only  be 
attacked  in  front,  and,  bracing  his  buckler  and  lowering  his 
lance,  awaited  their  coming. 

"  Who  and  what  are  ye,"  cried  he,  "  and  what  seek  ye  in 
this  land?" 

"  We  are  huntsmen,"  replied  Arnaud,  "  in  quest  of  game ; 
and  lo  !  it  runs  into  our  toils." 

"  By  my  faith,"  said  Pelayo,  "  thou  wilt  find  the  game  easier 
roused  than  taken  ;  have  at  thee  for  a  villain," 

So  saying,  he  put  spurs  to  his  horse  and  charged  upon  him. 
Arnaud  was  totally  unprepared  for  so  sudden  an  assault,  hav 
ing  scarce  anticipated  a  defence.  He  hastily  couched  his 
lance,  but  it  merely  glanced  on  the  shield  of  Pelayo,  who  sent 
his  own  through  the  middle  of  his  breast,  and  threw  him  out 
.of  his  saddle  to  the  earth.  One  of  the  other  robbers  made 
at  Pelayo  and  wounded  him  slightly  in  the  side,  but  received 
a  blow  on  the  head  which  cleft  his  skull-cap  and  sank  into 
his  brain.  His  companion,  seeing  him  fall,  galloped  off 
through  the  forest. 

By  this  time  three  or  four  of  the  robbers  on  foot  had  come 
up,  and  assailed  Pelayo.  He  received  two  of  their  darts  on 
his  buckler,  a  javelin  razed  his  cuirass,  and  his  horse  received 
two  wounds.  Pelayo  then  rushed  upon  them  and  struck  one 
dead ;  the  others,  seeing  several  huntsmen  advancing,  took  to 
flight ;  two  were  overtaken  and  made  prisoners,  the  rest  es 
caped  by  clambering  among  rocks  and  precipices. 


224  THE    LEGEND    OF    PELAYO- 

The  good  merchant  of  Bordeaux  and  his  family  beheld  this 
scene  with  trembling  and  amazement.  They  almost  looked 
upon  Pelayo  as  something  more  than  mortal,  for  they  had  never 
witnessed  such  feats  of  arms.  Still  they  considered  him  as  a 
leader  of  some  rival  band  of  robbers,  and  when  he  came  up 
and  had  the  bands  loosened  by  which  they  were  fastened  to  the 
trees,  they  fell  at  his  feet  and  implored  for  mercy.  It  was  with 
difficulty  he  could  pacify  their  fears  ;  the  females  were  soonest 
reassured,  especially  the  daughter,  for  the  young  maid  was 
struck  with  the  gentle  demeanor  and  noble  countenance  of 
Pelayo,  and  said  to  herself,  Surely  nothing  wicked  can  dwell 
in  so  heavenly  a  form. 

Pelayo  now  ordered  that  the  wounds  of  the  merchant  should 
be  dressed,  and  his  own  examined.  When  his  cuirass  was 
taken  off  his  wound  was  found  to  be  but  slight ;  but  his  men 
were  so  exasperated  at  seeing  his  blood,  that  they  would  have 
put  the  two  captive  Gascons  to  death,  had  he  not  forbade  them. 
He  now  sounded  his  hunting-horn,  which  echoed  from  rock  to 
rock,  and  was  answered  by  shouts  and  horns  from  various  parts 
of  the  mountains.  The  merchant's  heart  misgave  him ;  he, 
again  thought  he  was  among  robbers ;  nor  were  his  fears  al 
layed  when  he  beheld  in  a  little  while  more  than  forty  men 
assembling  together  from  various  parts  of  the  forest,  clad  in 
hunting-dresses,  with  boar-spears,  darts,  and  hunting-swords, 
and  each  leading  a  hound  by  a  long  cord.  All  this  was  a  new 
and  a  wild  world  to  the  astonished  merchant,  nor  was  his  un 
easiness  abated  when  he  beheld  his  servant  arrive  leading  the 
hackney  laden  with  money.  Certainly,  said  he  to  himself,  this 
will  be  too  tempting  a  spoil  for  these  wild  men  of  the  moun 
tains. 

The  huntsmen  brought  with  them  a  boar,  which  they  had 


THK  LEGEND  OF  PELAYO.  225 

killed,  and  being  hungry  from  the  chase,  they  lighted  a  fire  at 
the  foot  of  a  tree,  and  each  cutting  off  such  portion  of  the  boar 
as  he  liked  best,  roasted  it  at  the  fire,  and  ate  it  with  bread 
taken  from  his  wallet.  The  merchant,  his  wife,  and  daughter 
looked  at  all  this  and  wondered,  for  they  had  never  beheld  so 
savage  a  repast.  Pelayo  then  inquired  of  them  if  they  did 
not  desire  to  eat.  They  were  too  much  in  awe  of  him  to  de 
cline,  though  they  felt  a  loathing  at  the  idea  of  this  hunter's 
fare.  Linen  cloths  were  therefore  spread  under  the  shade  of 
a  great  oak,  to  screen  them  from  the  sun  ;  and  when  they  had 
seated  themselves  round  it,  they  were  served,  to  their  aston 
ishment,  not  with  the  flesh  of  the  boar,  but  with  dainty  viands, 
such  as  the  merchant  had  scarcely  hoped  to  find  out  of  the 
walls  of  his  native  city  of  Bordeaux. 

While  they  were  eating,  the  young  damsel,  the  daughter  of 
the  merchant,  could  not  keep  her  eyes  from- Pelayo.  Grati 
tude  for  his  protection,  admiration  of  his  valor,  had  filled  her 
heart ;  and  when  she  regarded  his  noble  countenance,  now  that 
he  had  laid  aside  his  helmet,  she  thought  she  beheld  something 
divine.  The  heart  of  the  tender  Donzella,  says  the  old  his 
torian,  was  kind  and  yielding ;  and  had  Pelayo  thought  fit  to 
ask  the  greatest  boon  that  love  and  beauty  could  bestow,  — 
doubtless  meaning  her  own  fair  hand,  —  she  would  not  have 
had  the  cruelty  to  say  him  nay.  Pelayo,  however,  had  no  such 
thought.  The  love  of  woman  had  never  yet  entered  in  his 
heart;  and  though  he  regarded  the  damsel  as  the  fairest  maiden 
he  had  ever  beheld,  her  beauty  caused  no  perturbation  in  his 
breast. 

When  the  repast  was  over,  Pelayo  offered  to  conduct  the 
merchant  and  his  family  through  the  passes  of  the  mountains, 
which  were  yet  dangerous  from  the  scattered  band  of  Gascons. 

VOL.   I.  11 


226  THE  LEGEND  OF  PELAYO. 

The  bodies  of  the  slain  marauders  were  buried,  and  the  corpse 
of  the  nephew  of  the  merchant  was  laid  upon  one  of  the  horses 
captured  in  the  battle.  They  then  formed  their  cavalcade  and 
pursued  their  way  slowly  up  one  of  the  steep  and  winding 
defiles  of  the  Pyrenees. 

Towards  sunset  they  arrived  at  the  dwelling  of  a  holy  her 
mit.  It  was  hewn  out  of  the  solid  rock,  a  cross  was  over  the 
door,  and  before  it  was  a  spreading  oak,  with  a  sweet  spring 
of  water  at  its  foot.  Here  the  body  of  the  merchant's  nephew 
was  buried,  close  by  the  wall  of  this  sacred  retreat,  and  the 
hermit  performed  a  mass  for  the  repose  of  his  soul.  Pelayo 
then  obtained  leave  from  the  holy  father  that  the  merchant's 
wife  and  daughter  should  pass  the  night  within  his  cell ;  and 
the  hermit  made  beds  of  moss  for  them  and  gave  them  his 
benediction ;  but  the  damsel  found  little  rest,  so  much  were 
her  thoughts  occupied  by  the  youthful  cavalier  who  had  de 
livered  her  from  death  or  dishonor. 

When  all  were  buried  in  repose,  the  hermit  came  to  Pelayo, 
who  was  sleeping  by  the  spring  under  the  tree,  and  he  awoke 
him  and  said.  "  Arise  my  son,  and  listen  to  my  words."  Pelayo 
arose  and  seated  himself  on  a  rock,  and  the  holy  man  stood  be 
fore  him,  and  the  beams  of  the  moon  fell  on  his  silver  hair  and 
beard,  and  he  said :  "  This  is  no  time  to  be  sleeping ;  for  know 
that  thou  art  chosen  for  a  great  work.  Behold  the  ruin  of 
Spain  is  at  hand,  destruction  shall  come  over  it  like  a  cloud, 
and  there  shall  be  no  safeguard.  For  it  is  the  will  of  Heaven 
that  evil  shall  for  a  time  have  sway,  and  whoever  withstands  it 
shall  be  destroyed.  But  thou  tarry  not  to  see  these  things, 
for  thou  canst  not  relieve  them.  Depart  on  a  pilgrimage,  and 
visit  the  sepulchre  of  our  blessed  Lord  in  Palestine,  and  purify 
thyself  by  prayer,  and  enrol  thyself  in  the  order  of  chivalry, 


THE  LEGEND  OF  PELAYO.  227 

and  prepare  for  the  work  of  the  redemption  of  thy  country. 
When  thou  shalt  return,  thou  wilt  find  thyself  a  stranger  in 
the  land,  "thy  residence  will  be  in  wild  dens  and  caves  of  the 
earth,  which  thy  young  foot  has  never  trodden.  Thou  wilt  find 
thy  countrymen  harboring  with  the  beasts  of  the  forest  and 
the  eagles  of  the  mountains.  The  land  which  thou  leavest 
smiling  with  cornfields,  and  covered  with  vines  and  olives,  thou 
wilt  find  overrun  with  weeds  and  thorns  and  brambles  ;  and 
wolves  will  roam  where  there  have  been  peaceful  flocks  and 
herds.  But  thou  wilt  weed  out  the  tares,  and  destroy  the 
wolves,  and  raise  again  the  head  of  thy  suffering  country." 

Much  further  discourse  had  Pelayo  with  this  holy  man,  who 
revealed  to  him  many  of  the  fearful  events  that  were  to  hap 
pen,  and  counselled  him  the  way  in  which  he  was  to  act. 

When  the  morning  sun  shone  upon  the  mountains,  the  party 
assembled  round  the  door  of  the  hermitage,  and  made  a  repast 
by  the  fountain  under  the  tree.  Then,  having  received  the 
benediction  of  the  hermit,  they  departed,  and  travelled  through 
the  forests  and  defiles  of  the  mountain,  in  the  freshness  of  the 
day ;  and  when  the  merchant  beheld  his  wife  and  daughter 
thus  secure  by  his  side,  and  the  hackney  laden  with  his  treasure 
following  close  behind  him,  his  heart  was  light  in  his  bosom, 
and  he  carolled  as  he  went.  But  Pelayo  rode  in  silence,  for 
his  mind  was  deeply  moved  by  the  revelations  and  the  counsel 
of  the  hermit ;  and  the  daughter  of  the  merchant  ever  and 
anon  regarded  him  with  eyes  of  tenderness  and  admiration, 
and  deep  sighs  spoke  the  agitation  of  her  bosom. 

At  length  they  came  to  where  the  forests  and  the  rocks  ter 
minated,  and  a  secure  road  lay  before  them  ;  and  here  Pelayo 
paused  to  take  his  leave,  appointing  a  number  of  his  followers 
to  attend  and  guard  them  to  the  nearest  town. 


228  THE  LEGEND  OF  PELAYO. 

When  they  came  to  part,  the  merchant  and  his  wife  were 
loud  in  their  thanks  and  benedictions ;  but  for  some  time  the 
daughter  spake  never  a  word.  At  length  she  raised  her  eyes, 
which  were  filled  with  tears,  and  looked  wistfully  at  Pelayo, 
and  her  bosom  throbbed,  and  after  a  struggle  between  strong 
affection  and  virgin  modesty  her  heart  relieved  itself  by  words. 

"  Senor,"  said  she,  "  I  know  that  I  am  humble  and  unworthy 
of  the  notice  of  so  noble  a  cavalier,  but  suffer  me  to  place  this 
ring  on  a  finger  of  your  right  hand,  with  which  you  have  so 
bravely  rescued  us  from  death ;  and  when  you  regard  it,  you 
shall  consider  it  as  a  memorial  of  your  own  valor,  and  not  of 
one  who  is  too  humble  to  be  remembered  by  you."  With 
these  words  she  drew  a  ring  from  off  her  finger  dnd  put  it 
upon  the  finger  of  Pelayo  ;  and  having  done  this,  she  blushed 
and  trembled  at  her  own  boldness,  and  stood  as  one  abashed, 
with  her  eyes  cast  down  upon  the  earth. 

Pelayo  was  moved  at  her  words,  and  at  the  touch  of  her  fair 
hand,  and  at  her  beauty  as  she  stood  thus  troubled  and  in  tears 
before  him ;  but  as  yet  he  knew  nothing  of  woman,  and  his 
heart  was  free  from  the  snares  of  love.  "  Amiga "  (friend), 
said  he,  "  I  accept  thy  present,  and  will  wear  it  in  remembrance 
of  thy  goodness."  The  damsel  was  cheered  by  these  words, 
for  she  hoped  she  had  awakened  some  tenderness  in  his 
bosom  ;  but  it  was  no  such  thing,  says  the  ancient  chronicler, 
for  his  heart  was  ignorant  of  love,  and  was  devoted  to  higher 
and  more  sacred  matters ;  yet  certain  it  is,  that  he  always 
guarded  well  that  ring. 

They  parted,  and  Pelayo  and  his  huntsmen  remained  for 
some  time  on  a  cliff  on  the  verge  of  the  forest,  watching  that 
no  evil  befell  them  about  the  skirts  of  the  mountain ;  and  the 
damsel  often  turned  her  head  to  look  at  him,  until  she  could 


THE  LEGEND  OF  PELATO.  229 

no  longer  see  him  for  the  distance  and  the  tears  that  dimmed 
her  eyes. 

And,  for  that  he  had  accepted  her  ring,  she  considered 
herself  wedded  to  him  in  her  heart,  and  never  married; 
nor  could  be  brought  to  look  with  eyes  of  affection  upon  any 
other  man,  but  for  the  true  love  which  s*he  bore  Pelayo  she 
lived  and  died  a  virgin.  And  she  composed  a  book,  contin 
ues  the  old  chronicler,  which  treated  of  love  and  chivalry  and 
the  temptations  of  this  mortal  life,  —  and  one  part  discoursed 
of  celestial  things,  —  and  it  was  called  the  "  Contemplations  of 
Love  ;  "  because  at  the  time  she  wrote  it  she  thought  of  Pelayo, 
and  of  his  having  received  her  jewel,  and  called  her  by  the 
gentle  name  of  "  Amiga  ;  "  and  often  thinking  of  him,  and  of 
her  never  having  beheld  him  more,  in  tender  sadness  she 
would  take  the  book  which  she  had  written,  and  would  read  it 
for  him,  and  while  she  repeated  the  words  of  love  which  it  con 
tained,  she  would  fancy  them  uttered  by  Pelayo,  and  that  he 
stood  before  her.* 

*  El  More  Basis,  Destruycion  de  Esptiria,  Part  2,  c.  101. 


230  THE    LEGEND    OF    PELAYO. 


'    CHAPTER  IV. 

PILGRIMAGE  OF    PELAYO,  AND  WHAT    BEFELL    HIM    ON    HIS    RE 
TURN    TO    SPAIN. 

PELAYO,  according  to  the  old  chronicle  before  quoted,  re 
turned  to  his  home  deeply  impressed  with  the  revelations  made 
to  him  by  the  saintly  hermit,  and  prepared  to  set  forth  upon 
the  pilgrimage  to  the  holy  sepulchre.  Some  historians  have 
alleged  that  he  was  quickened  to  this  pious  expedition  by  fears 
of  violence  from  the  wicked  King  Witiza ;  but  at  this  time 
Witiza  was  in  his  grave  and  Roderick  swayed  the  Gothic  scep 
tre  ;  the  sage  Agapida  is  therefore  inclined  to  attribute  the 
pilgrimage  to  the  mysterious  revelation  already  mentioned. 

Having  arranged  the  concerns  of  his  household,  chosen  the 
best  suit  of  armor  from  his  armory,  and  the  best  horse  from 
his  stable,  and  supplied  himself  with  jewels  and  store  of  gold 
for  his  expenses,  he  took  leave  of  his  mother  and  his  sister 
Lucinda.  as  if  departing  upon  a  distant  journey  in  Spain,  and, 
attended  only  by  his  page,  set  out  upon  his  holy  wayfaring. 
Descending  from  the  rugged  Pyrenees,  he  journeyed  through 
the  fair  plains  of  France  to  Marseilles,  where,  laying  by  his 
armor,  and  leaving  his  horses  in  safe-keeping,  he  put  on  a  pil 
grim's  garb,  with  staff  and  scrip  and  cockle-shell,  and  embarked 
on  board  of  a  galley  bound  for  Sicily.  From  Messina  he 
voyaged  in  a  small  bark  to  Rhodes  ;  thence  in  a  galliot  with  a 
number  of  other  pilgrims  to  the  Holy  Land.  Having  passed  a 


THE  LEGEND  OF  PELATO.  231 

year  of  pious  devotion  at  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  and  visited  all 
the  places  rendered  sacred  by  the  footsteps  of  our  Lord,  and 
of  his  mother  the  ever-blessed  Virgin,  and  having  received  the 
order  of  Knighthood,  he  turned  his  steps  toward  his  native 
land. 

The  discreet  Agapida  here  pauses  and  forbears  to  follow  the 
ancient  chronicler  further  in  his  narration,  for  an  interval  of  ob 
scurity  now  occurs  in  the  fortunes  of  Pelayo.  Some  who  have 
endeavored  to  ascertain  and  connect  the  links  of  his  romantic 
and  eventful  story,  have  represented  him  as  returning  from 
his  pilgrimage  in  time  to  share  in  the  last  struggle  of  his  coun 
try,  and  as  signalizing  himself  in  the  fatal  battle  on  the  banks 
of  the  Guadalete.  Others  declare  that  by  the  time  he  arrived 
in  Spain  the  perdition  of  the  country  was  complete ;  that  in 
fidel  chieftains  bore  sway  in  the  palaces  of  his  ancestors ;  that 
his  paternal  castle  was  a  ruin,  his  mother  in  her  grave,  and  his 
sister  Lucinda  carried  away  into  captivity. 

Stepping  lightly  over  this  disputed  ground,  the  cautious 
Agapida  resumes  the  course  of  the  story  where  Pelayo  dis 
covers  the  residence  of  his  sister  in  the  city  of  Gijon,  on  the 
Atlantic  coast,  at  the  foot  of  the  Asturian  Mountains.  It  was 
a  formidable  fortress,  chosen  by  Taric  as  a  military  post,  to  con 
trol  the  seaboard,  and  hold  in  check  the  Christian  patriots  who 
had  taken  refuge  in  the  neighboring  mountains.  The  com 
mander  of  this  redoubtable  fortress  was  a  renegade  chief,  who 
has  been  variously  named  by  historians,  and  who  held  the 
sister  of  Pelayo  a  captive  ;  though  others  affirm  that  she  had 
submitted  to  become  his  wife,  to  avoid  a  more  degrading  fate. 
According  to  the  old  chronicle  already  cited,  Pelayo  succeeded 
by  artifice  in  extricating  her  from  his  hands  and  bearing  her 
away  to  the  mountains.  They  were  hotly  pursued,  but  Pelayo 


232  THE  LEGEND  OF  PELAYO. 

struck  up  a  steep  and  rugged  defile,  where  scarcely  two  persons 
could  pass  abreast,  and  partly  by  his  knowledge  of  the  defiles, 
partly  by  hurling  down  great  masses  of  rock  to  check  his  pur 
suers,  effected  the  escape  of  his  sister  and  himself  to  a  secure 
part  of  the  mountains.  Here  they  found  themselves  in  a  small 
green  meadow,  blocked  up  by  a  perpendicular  precipice,  whence 
fell  a  stream  of  water  with  great  noise  into  a  natural  basin  or 
pool,  the  source  of  the  river  Deva.  Here  was  the  hermitage 
of  one  of  those  holy  men  who  had  accompanied  the  Arch 
bishop  Urbano  in  his  flight  from  Toledo,  and  had  established  a 
sanctuary  among  these  mountains.  He  received  the  illustrious 
fugitives  with  joy,  especially  when  he  knew  their  rank  and 
story,  and  conducted  them  to  his  retreat.  A  kind  of  ladder 
led  up  to  an  aperture  in  the  face  of  the  rock,  about  two  pike 
lengths  from  the  ground.  Within  was  a  lofty  cavern  capable 
of  containing  many  people,  with  an  inner  cavern  of  still  greater 
magnitude.  The  outer  cavern  served  as  a  chapel,  having  an 
altar,  a  crucifix,  and  an  image  of  the  blessed  Mary. 

This  wild  retreat  had  never  been  molested ;  not  a  Moslem 
turban  had  been  seen  within  the  little  valley.  The  cavern  was 
well  known  to  the  Gothic  inhabitants  of  the  mountains  and  the 
adjacent  valleys.  They  called  it  the  cave  of  Santa  Maria  ;  but 
it  is  more  commonly  known  to  fame  by  the  name  of  Covadonga. 
It  had  many  times  been  a  secure  place  of  refuge  to  suffering 
Christians,  being  unknown  to  their  foes,  and  capable  of  being 
made  a  natural  citadel.  The  entrance  was  so  far  from  the 
ground  that  when  the  ladder. was  removed,  a  handful  of  men 
could  defend  it  from  all  assault.  The  small  meadow  in  front 
afforded  pasturage  and  space  for  gardens ;  and  the  stream  that 
fell  from  the  rock  was  from  a  never-failing  spring.  The  val 
ley  was  high  in  the  mountains ;  so  high  that  the  crow  seldom 


THE  LEGEND  OF  PELAYO.  233 

winged  its  flight  across  it,  and  the  passes  leading  to  it  were  so 
steep  and  dangerous  that  single  men  might  set  whole  armies  at 
defiance. 

Such  was  one  of  the  wild  fastnesses  of  the  Asturias,  which 
formed  the  forlorn  hope  of  unhappy  Spain.  The  anchorite,  too, 
was  one  of  those  religious  men  permitted  by  the  conquerors, 
from  their  apparently  peaceful  and  inoffensive  lives,  to  inhabit 
lonely  chapels  and  hermitages,  but  whose  cells  formed  places 
of  secret  resort  and  council  for  the  patriots  of  Spain,  and  who 
kept  up  an  intercourse  and  understanding  among  the  scattered 
remnants  of  the  nation.  The  holy  man  knew  all  the  Christians 
of  the  Asturias,  whether  living  in  the  almost  inaccessible 
caves  and  dens  of  the  cliffs,  or  in  the  narrow  valleys  imbedded 
among  the  mountains.  He  represented  them  to  Pelayo  as 
brave  and  hardy,  and  ready  for  any  desperate  enterprise  that 
might  promise  deliverance  ;  but  they  were  disheartened  by  the 
continued  subjection  of  their  country,  and  on  the  point,  many 
of  them,  of  descending  into  the  plains  and  submitting,  like  the 
rest  of  their  countrymen,  to  the  yoke  of  the  conquerors. 

When  Pelayo  considered  all  these  things,  he  was  persuaded 
the  time  was  come  for  effecting  the  great  purpose  of  his  soul. 
"  Father,"  said  he,  "  I  will  no  longer  play  the  fugitive,  nor  en 
dure  the  disgrace  of  my  country  and  my  line.  Here  in  this 
wilderness  will  I  rear  once  more  the  royal  standard  of  the 
Goths,  and  attempt,  with  the  blessing  of  God,  to  shake  off  the 
yoke  of  the  invader." 

The  hermit  hailed  his  words  with  transport,  as  prognostics 
of  the  deliverance  of  Spain.  Taking  staff  in  hand,  he  re 
paired  to  the  nearest  valley  inhabited  by  Christian  fugitives. 
"  Hasten  in  every  direction,"  said  he,  "  and  proclaim  far  and 

wide  among  the  mountains  that  Pelayo,  a  descendant  of  the 
11* 


234  THE  LEGEND  OP  PELAYO. 

Gothic  kings,  has  unfurled  his  banner  at  Covadonga  as  a  ral- 
lying-point  for  his  countrymen." 

The  glad  tidings  ran  like  wildfire  throughout  all  the  re 
gions  of  the  Asturias.  Old  and  young  started  up  at  the 
sound,  and  seized  whatever  weapons  were  at  hand.  From 
mountain  cleft  and  secret  glen  issued  forth  stark  and  stal 
wart  warriors,  grim  with  hardship,  and  armed  'with  old  Gothic 
weapons  that  had  rusted  in  caves  since  the  battle  of  the  Guada- 
lete.  Others  turned  their  rustic  implements  into  spears  and 
battle-axes,  and  hastened  to  join  the  standard  of  Pelayo.  Every 
day  beheld  numbers  of  patriot  warriors  arriving  in  the  narrow 
valley,  or  rather  glen,  of  Covadonga,  clad  in  all  the  various 
garbs  of  ancient  Spain,  —  for  here  were  fugitives  from  every 
province,  who  had  preferred  liberty  among  the  sterile  rocks 
of  the  mountains  to  ease  and  slavery  in  the  plains.  In  a  little 
while  Pelayo  found  himself  at  the  head  of  a  formidable  force, 
hardened  by  toil  and  suffering,  fired  with  old  Spanish  pride, 
and  rendered  desperate  by  despair.  With  these  he  maintained 
a  warlike  sway  among  the  mountains.  Did  any  infidel  troops 
attempt  to  penetrate  to  their  stronghold,  the  signal  fires  blazed 
from  height  to  height,  the  steep  passes  and  defiles  bristled 
with  armed  men,  and  rocks  were  hurled  upon  the  heads  of  the 
intruders. 

By  degrees  the  forces  of  Pelayo  increased  so  much  in  num 
ber,  and  in  courage  of  heart,  that  he  sallied  forth  occasionally 
from  the  mountains,  swept  the  sea-coast,  assailed  the  Moors 
in  their  towns  and  villages,  put  many  of  them  to  the  sword, 
and  returned  laden  with  spoil  to  the  mountains. 

His  name  now  became  the  terror  of  the  infidels,  and  the 
hope  and  consolation  of  the  Christians.  The  heart  of  old 
Gothic  Spain  was  once  more  lifted  up,  and  hailed  his  standard 


THE  LEGEND  OF  PELAYO.  235 

as  the  harbinger  of  happier  days.  Her  scattered  sons  felt 
again  as  a  people,  and  the  spirit  of  empire  arose  once  more 
among  them.  Gathering  together  from  all  parts  of  the  Astu- 
rias  in  the  valley  of  Cangas,  they  resolved  to  elect  their  cham 
pion  their  sovereign.  Placing  the  feet  of  Pelayo  upon  a  shield, 
several  of  the  starkest  warriors  raised  him  aloft,  according  to 
ancient  Gothic  ceremonial,  and  presented  him  as  king.  The 
multitude  rent  the  air  with  their  transports,  and  the  mountain 
cliffs,  which  so  long  had  echoed  nothing  but  lamentations,  now 
resounded  with  shouts  of  joy.*  Thus  terminated  the  interreg 
num  of  Christian  Spain,  which  had  lasted  since  the  overthrow 
of  King  Roderick  and  his  host  on  the  banks  of  the  Guadalete, 
and  the  new  king  continued  with  augmented  zeal  his  victorious 
expeditions  against  the  infidels. 

*  Morales,  Cronicon  de  Espana,  L.  13,  c.  2. 


236  THE  LEGEND  OF  PELAYO. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE    BATTLE    OF    COVADONGA. 

TIDINGS  soon  spread  throughout  Spain  that  the  Christians 
of  the  Asturias  were  in  arms  and  had  proclaimed  a  king  among 
the  mountains.  The  veteran  chief,  Taric  el  Tuerto,  was  alarmed 
for  the  safety  of  the  seaboard,  and  dreaded  lest  this  insurrection 
should  extend  into  the  plains.  He  despatched,  therefore,  in 
all  haste  a  powerful  force  from  Cordova,  under  the  command 
of  Ibrahim  Alcamar,  one  of  his  most  experienced  captains, 
with  orders  to  penetrate  the  mountains  and  crush  this  danger 
ous  rebellion.  The  perfidious  Bishop  Oppas,  who  had  pro 
moted  the  perdition  of  Spain,  was  sent  with  this  host,  in  the 
hope  that  through  his  artful  eloquence  Pelayo  might  be  induced 
to  lay  down  his  arms  and  his  newly  assumed  sceptre. 

The  army  made  rapid  marches,  and  in  a  few  days  arrived 
among  the  narrow  valleys  of  the  Asturias.  The  Christians 
had  received  notice  of  their  approach,  and  fled  to  their  fast 
nesses.  The  Moors  found  the  valleys  silent  and  deserted ; 
there  were  traces  of  men,  but  not  a  man  was  to  be  seen. 
They  passed  through  the  most  wild  and  dreary  defiles,  among 
impending  rocks,  —  here  and  there  varied  by  small  green  strips 
of  mountain  meadow,  —  and  directed  their  march  for  the  lofty 
valley,  or  rather  glen,  of  Covadonga,  whither  they  learnt  from 
their  scouts  that  Pelayo  had  retired. 

The  newly  elected  king,  when  he  heard  of  the  approach  of 


THE  LEGEND  OF  PELATO.  237 

this  mighty  force,  sent  his  sister,  and  all  the  women  and  chil- 
ren  to  a  distant  and  secret  part  of  the  mountain.  He  then 
chose  a  thousand  of  his  best  armed  and  most  powerful  men, 
and  placed  them  within  the  cave.  The  lighter  armed  and  less 
vigorous  he  ordered  to  climb  to  the  summit  of  the  impend 
ing  rocks,  and  conceal  themselves  among  the  thickets  with 
which  they  were  crowned.  This  done,  he  entered  the  cavern 
and  caused  the  ladder  leading  to  it  to  be  drawn  up. 

In  a  little  while  the  bray  of  distant  trumpets,  and  the  din  of 
atabals,  resounded  up  the  glen,  and  soon  the  whole  gorge  of 
the  mountain  glistened  with  armed  men  ;  squadron  after  squad 
ron  of  swarthy  Arabs  spurred  into  the  valley,  which  was  soon 
whitened  by  their  tents.  The  veteran  Ibrahim  Alcamar, 
trusting  that  he  had  struck  dismay  into  the  Christians  by  this 
powerful  display,  sent  the  crafty  Bishop  Oppas  to  parley  with 
Pelayo,  and  persuade  him  to  surrender. 

,  The  Bishop  advanced  on  his  steed  until  within  a  short  dis 
tance  of  the  cave,  and  Pelayo  appeared  at  its  entrance  with 
lance  in  hand.  The  silver-tongued  prelate  urged  him  to 
submit  to  the  Moslem  power,  assuring  him  that  he  would  be 
rewarded  with  great  honors  and  estates.  He  represented  the 
mildness  of  the  conquerors  to  all  who  submitted  to  their 
sway,  and  the  hopelessness  of  resistance.  "  Remember,"  said 
he,  "  how  mighty  was  the  power  of  the  Goths,  who  vanquished 
both  Romans  and  Barbarians,  yet  how  completely  was  it 
broken  down  and  annihilated  by  these  people.  If  the  whole 
nation  in  arms  could  not  stand  before  them,  what  canst  thou 
do  with  thy  wretched  cavern  and  thy  handful  of  mountaineers  ? 
Be  counselled  then,  Pelayo;  give  up  this  desperate  attempt; 
accept  the  liberal  terms  offered  thee ;  abandon  these  sterile 


238  THE  LEGEND  OF  PELATO. 

mountains,  and  return  to  the  plains  to  live  in  wealth  and  honor 
under  the  magnanimous  rule  of  Taric." 

Pelayo  listened  to  the  hoary  traitor  with  mingled  impatience 
and  disdain.  "  Perdition  has  come  upon  Spain,"  replied  he, 
"  through  the  degeneracy  of  her  sons,  the  sins  of  her  rulers,  — 
like  the  wicked  King  Witiza  thy  brother,  —  and  the  treachery 
of  base  men  like  thee.  But  when  punishment  is  at  an  end, 
mercy  and  forgiveness  succeed.  The  Goths  have  reached  the 
lowest  extreme  of  misery ;  it  is  for  me  to  aid  their  fortune 
in  the  turn,  and  soon  I  trust  will  it  arise  to  its  former  gran 
deur.  As  to  thee,  Don  Oppas,  thou  shalt  stand  abhorred 
among  men,  false  to  thy  country,  traitorous  to  thy  king,  a 
renegado  Christian,  and  an  apostate  priest." 

So  saying  he  turned  his  back  upon  the  Bishop  and  retired 
into  his  cave. 

Oppas  returned  pale  with  shame  and  malice  to  Alcamar. 
"  These  people,"  said  he,  "  are  stiff-necked  in  their  rebellion  ;, 
their  punishment  should  be  according  to  their  obstinacy,  and 
should  serve  as  a  terror  to  evil-doers  ;  not  one  of  them  should 
be  permitted  to  survive." 

Upon  this  Alcamar  ordered  a  grand  assault  upon  the 
cavern ;  and  the  slingers  and  the  cross-bow  men  advanced  in 
great  force,  and  with  a  din  of  atabals  and  trumpets  that 
threatened  to  rend  the  very  rocks.  They  discharged  showers 
of  stones  and  arrows  at  the  mouth  of  the  cavern,  but  their 
missiles  rebounded  from  the  face  of  the  rock,  and  many  of 
them  fell  upon  their  own  heads.  This  is  recorded  as  a  mira 
cle  by  pious  chroniclers  of  yore,  who  affirm  that  the  stones 
and  arrows  absolutely  turned  in  the  air  and  killed  those  who 
had  discharged  them. 


THE  LEGEND  OF  PELAYO.  239 

When  Alcamar  and  Oppas  saw  that  the  attack  was  Ineffect 
ual,  they  brought  up  fresh  forces  and  made  preparations  to 
scale  the  mouth  of  the  cavern.  At  this  moment,  says  the 
old  chronicle,  a  banner  was  put  in  the  hand  of  Pelayo,  bear 
ing  a  white  cross  on  a  blood-red  field,  and  inscribed  on  it,  in 
Chaldean  characters,  was  the  name  of  Jesus.  And  a  voice 
spake  unto  him  and  said,  "  Arouse  thy  strength ;  go  forth  in 
the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt  conquer."  Who 
gave  the  banner  and  uttered  the  words  has  never  been  known  ; 
the  whole,  therefore,  stands  recorded  as  a  miracle. 

Then  Pelayo  elevated  the  banner.  "  Behold,"  said  he,  "  a 
sign  from  Heaven,  —  a  sacred  cross  sent  to  lead  us  on  to  vic 
tory." 

Upon  this  the  people  gave  a  great  shout  of  joy ;  and  when 
the  Saracens  heard  that  shout  within  the  entrails  of  the 
mountain  their  hearts  quaked,  for  it  was  like  the  roar  of 
the  volcano  giving  token  of  an  eruption. 

Before  they  could  recover  from  their  astonishment,  the 
Christians  issued  in  a  torrent  from  the  cave,  all  fired  with 
rage  and  holy  confidence.  By  their  impetuous  assault  they 
bore  back  the  first  rank  of  their  adversaries  and  forced  it 
upon  those  behind,  and  as  there  was  no  space  in  that  narrow 
valley  to  display  a  front  of  war,  or  for  many  to  fight  at  a  time, 
the  numbers  of  the  foe  but  caused  their  confusion.  The 
horse  trampled  on  the  foot,  and  the  late  formidable  host  be 
came  a  mere  struggling  and  distracted  multitude.  In  the  front 
was  carnage  and  confusion,  in  the  rear  terror  and  fright; 
wherever  the  sacred  standard  was  borne,  the  infidels  appeared 
to  fall  before  it  as  if  smitten  by  some  invisible  hand  rather 
than  by  the  Christian  band. 

Early  in  the  fight  Pelayo  encountered   Ibrahim  Alcamar. 


240  THE  LEGEND  OF  PELAYO. 

They  fought  hand  to  hand  on  the  border  of  the  pool  from 
which  springs  the  river  Deva,  and  the  Saracen  was  slain  upon 
the  margin  of  that  pool,  and  his  blood  mingled  with  its 
waters. 

When  the  Bishop  Oppas  beheld  this  he  would  have  fled, 
but  the  valley  was  closed  up  by  the  mass  of  combatants,  and 
Pelayo  overtook  him  and  defied  him  to  the  fight.  But  the 
Bishop,  though  armed,  was  as  craven  as  he  was  false,  and 
yielding  up  his  weapons  implored  for  mercy.  So  Pelayo 
spared  his  life,  but  sent  him  bound  to  the  cavern. 

The  whole  Moorish  host  now  took  to  headlong  flight.  Some 
attempted  to  clamber  to  the  summit  of  the  mountains,  but 
they  were  assailed  by  the  troops  stationed  there  by  Pelayo, 
who  showered  down  darts  and  arrows  and  great  masses  of  rock, 
making  fearful  havoc. 

The  great  body  of  the  army  fled  by  the  road  leading  along 
the  ledge  or  shelf  overhanging  the  deep  ravine  of  the  Deva ; 
but  as  they  crowded  in  one  dense  multitude  upon  the  pro 
jecting  precipice,  the  whole  mass  suddenly  gave  way,  and 
horse  and  horseman,  tree  and  rock,  were  precipitated  in  one 
tremendous  ruin  into  the  raging  river.  Thus  perished  a 
great  part  of  the  flying  army.  The  venerable  Bishop 
Sebastiano,  who  records  this  event  with  becoming  awe,  as 
another  miracle  wrought  in  favor  of  the  Christians,  assures 
us  that,  in  his  time,  many  years  afterwards,  when  during  the 
winter  season  the  Deva  would  swell  and  rage  and  tear  away 
its  banks,  spears  and  scimitars  and  corselets,  and  the  mingled 
bones  of  men  and  steeds,  would  be  uncovered,  being  the  wrecks 
and  relics  of  the  Moslem  host,  thus  marvellously  destroyed.* 

*  Judicio  Domini  actum  est,  ut  ipsius  mentis  pars  se  a  fundamentis  evolvens, 
sexaginta  tria  millia  caldeorum  stupenter  in  fulmina  projecit,  atque  eos  omnes 


THE  LEGEND  OF  PELAYO.  241 

opressit.  Ubi  usque  nunc  ipse  fluvius  dum  tempore  hyemali  alveum  suum 
implot,  ripasque  dissoluit,  signa  armorum  et  ossa  eorum  evidentissime  ostendit. 
—  Sebaslianus  Salmanticensis  Episc. 

NOTE.  —  To  satisfy  all  doubts  with  respect  to  the  miraculous  banner  of 
Pelayo,  that  precious  relic  is  still  preserved  in  the  sacred  chamber  of  the  church 
of  Oviedo,  richly  ornamented  with  gold  and  precious  stones.  It  was  removed 
to  that  place,  by  order  of  Alonzo  the  Third,  from  the  church  of  Santa  Cruz, 
near  Cangas,  which  was  erected  by  Favila,  the  son  and  successor  of  Pelayo,. 
in  memory  of  this  victory. 


242  THE  LEGEND  OF  PELAYO. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

PELAYO    BECOMES    KING    OF    LEON. HIS    DEATH. 

WHEN  Pelayo  beheld  his  enemies  thus  scattered  and  de 
stroyed,  he  saw  that  Heaven  was  on  his  side,  and  proceeded  to 
follow  up  his  victory.  Rearing  the  sacred  banner,  he  de 
scended  through  the  valleys  of  the  Asturias,  his  army  augment 
ing,  like  a  mountain  torrent,  as  it  rolled  along ;  for  the  Chris 
tians  saw  in  the  victory  of  Covadonga  a  miraculous  interposi 
tion  of  Providence  in  behalf  of  ruined  Spain,  and  hastened 
from  all  parts  to  join  the  standard  of  the  deliverer. 

Emboldened  by  numbers,  and  by  the  enthusiasm  of  his 
troops,  Pelayo  directed  his  march  towards  the  fortress  of  Gijon. 
The  renegado  Magued,  however,  did  not  await  his  coming. 
His  heart  failed  him  on  hearing  of  the  defeat  and  death  of 
Alcamar,  the  destruction  of  the  Moslem  army,  and  the  aug 
menting  force  of  the  Christians ;  and,  abandoning  his  post,  he 
marched  towards  Leon  with  the  greatest  part  of  his  troops. 
Pelayo  received  intelligence  of  his  movements,  and  advancing 
rapidly  through  the  mountains,  encountered  him  in  the  valley 
of  Ollalas.  A  bloody  battle  ensued  on  the  banks  of  the  river 
which  flows  through  that  valley.  The  sacred  banner  was 
again  victorious ;  Magued  was  slain  by  the  hand  of  Pelayo, 
and  so  great  was  the  slaughter  of  his  host,  that  for  two  days 
the  river  ran  red  with  the  blood  of  the  Saracens. 

From  hence,  Pelayo  proceeded  rapidly  to  Gijon,  which  he 


THE  LEGEND  OF  PELAYO.  243 

easily  carried  by  assault.  The  capture  of  this  important  for 
tress  gave  him  the  command  of  the  seaboard,  and  of  the  skirts 
of  the  mountains.  While  reposing  himself  after  his  victories, 
the  Bishop  Oppas  was  brought  in  chains  before  him,  and  the 
Christian  troops  called  loudly  for  the  death  of  that  traitor  and 
apostate.  But  Pelayo  recollected  that  he  had  been  a  sacred 
dignitary  of  the  Church,  and  regarded  him  as  a  scourge  in  the 
hand  of  Heaven  for  the  punishment  of  Spain.  He  would  not, 
therefore,  suffer  violent  hands  to  be  laid  upon  him,  but  con 
tented  himself  with  placing  him  where  he  could  no  longer  work 
mischief.  He  accordingly  ordered  him  to  be  confined  in  one 
of  the  towers  of  Gijon,  with  nothing  but  bread  and  water  for 
his  subsistence.  There  he  remained  a  prey  to  the  workings  of 
his  conscience,  which  filled  his  prison  with  horrid  spectres  of 
those  who  had  perished  through  his  crimes.  He  heard  wail- 
ings  and  execrations  in  the  sea-breeze  that  howled  round  the 
tower,  and  in  the  roaring  of  the  waves  that  beat  against  its 
foundations ;  and  in  a  little  time  he  was  found  dead  in  his 
dungeon,  hideously  distorted,  as  if  he  had  died  in  agony  and 
terror.* 

The  sacred  banner  that  had  been  elevated  at  Covadonga 
never  sank  nor  receded,  but  continued  to  be  the  beacon  of  de 
liverance  to  Spain.  Pelayo  went  on  from  conquest  to  conquest, 
increasing  and  confirming  his  royal  power.  Having  captured 
the  city  of  Leon,  he  made  it  the  capital  of  his  kingdom,  and 
took  there  the  title  of  the  King  of  Leon.  He  moreover 
adopted  the  device  of  the  city  for  his  arms,  —  a  blood-red  lion, 
rampant,  in  a  silver  field.  This  long  continued  to  be  the  arms 
of  Spain,  until  in  after-times  the  lion  was  quartered  with  the 
castle,  the  device  of  Burgos,  capital  of  Old  Castile. 

*  La  Destruydon  de  Espana,  Part  3. 


244  THE  LEGEND  OF  PELAYO. 

We  forbear  to  follow  this  patriot  prince  through  the  rest  of 
his  glorious  career.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  he  reigned  long  and 
prosperously  ;  extending  on  all  sides  the  triumphs  of  his  arms  ; 
establishing  on  solid  foundations  the  reviving  empire  of  Chris* 
tian  Spain  ;  and  that,  after  a  life  of  constant  warfare,  he  died 
in  peace  in  the  city  of  Cangas,  and  lies  buried  with  his  queen, 
Gaudiosa,  in  the  church  of  Santa  Eulalia,  near  to  that  city. 

Here  ends  the  legend  of  Pelayo. 


ABDERAHMAN: 


FOUNDEK  OF  THE  DYNASTY  OF  THE  OMMIADES 
IN  SPAIN. 


[THE  Memoir  of  Abderahman,  the.  founder  of  the  dynasty  of  the  Ommiades  in 
Spain,  was  published  in  the  "  Knickerbocker  Magazine  "  in  1840.  In  introduc 
ing  it  to  that  periodical,  the  author,  after  stating  that  he  had  conformed  to  the 
facts  furnished  by  the  Arabian  chronicles,  as  cited  by  Cond£,  remarks:  "The 
story  of  Abderahman  has  almost  the  charm  of  romance ;  but  it  derives  a  higher 
interest  from  the  heroic,  yet  gentle,  virtues  which  it  illustrates,  and  from  re 
cording  the  fortunes  of  the  founder  of  that  splendid  dynasty  which  shed  such  a 
lustre  upon  Spain  during  the  domination  of  the  Arabs."  The  accomplished 
Ford  says  of  the  history  of  Abderahman :  "  No  fiction  of  romance  ever  surpassed 
the  truth  of  his  eventful  life." 

The  present  Memoir  is  not  an  exact  reprint  of  the  article  in  the  "Knicker 
bocker,"  but  is  given  as  altered  from  that,  in  1847,  when  the  author  was  think 
ing  of  preparing  for  the  press  the  "  Chrpnicle  of  the  Ommiades,"  embracing  the 
whole  line,  which  he  had  "  roughly  sketched  out  at  Madrid  in  1827,  just  after 
he  had  finished  Columbus."  —  ED.] 


ABDERAHMAN. 


CHAPTER   I. 

OF  THE  YOUTHFUL  FORTUNES  OF  ABDERAHMAN. 

"  BLESSED  be  God  !  "  exclaims  an  Arabian  historian  ;  "  in 
His  hands  alone  is  the  destiny  of  princes.  He  overthrows  the 
mighty,  and  humbles  the  haughty  to  the  dust ;  and  He  raises 
up  the  persecuted  and  afflicted  from  the  very  depths  of  de 
spair  !  " 

The  illustrious  house  of  Omeya,  one  of  the  two  lines  de 
scended  from  Mahomet,  had  swayed  the  sceptre  at  Damascus 
for  nearly  a  century,  when  a  rebellion  broke  out,  headed  by 
Abu  al  Abbas  Safah,  who  aspired  to  the  throne  of  the  caliphs, 
as  being  descended  from  Abbas,  the  uncle  of  the  Prophet. 
The  rebellion  was  successful.  Meruan,  the  last  caliph  of  the 
house  of  Omeya,  was  defeated  and  slain.  A  general  proscrip 
tion  of  the  Ommiades  took  place.  Many  of  them  fell  in  battle  ; 
many  were  treacherously  slain  in  places  where  they  had  taken 
refuge ;  above  seventy,  most  noble  and  distinguished,  were 
murdered  at  a  banquet  to  which  they  had  been  invited,  and 
their  dead  bodies,  covered  with  cloths,  were  made  to  serve  as 
tables  for  the  horrible  festivity.  Others  were  driven  forth, 
forlorn  and  desolate  wanderers  in  various  parts  of  the  earth, 
and  pursued  with  relentless  hatred ;  for  it  was  the  determina 
tion  of  the  usurper  that  not  one  of  the  persecuted  family  should 


248  ABDERAHMAN. 

escape.  Abu  al  Abbas  took  possession  of  three  stately  palaces, 
and  delicious  gardens,  and  founded  the  powerful  dynasty  of 
the  Abbassides,  which,  for  several  centuries,  maintained  domin 
ion  in  the  East. 

"  Blessed  be  God  !  "  again  exclaims  the  Arabian  historian  ; 
"  it  was  written  in  His  eternal  decrees  that,  notwithstanding 
the  fury  of  the  Abbassides,  the  noble  stock  of  Omeya  should 
not  be  destroyed.  One  fruitful  branch  remained  to  flourish 
with  glory  and  greatness  in  another  land." 

When  the  sanguinary  proscription  of  the  Ommiades  took 
place,  two  young  princes  of  that  line,  brothers,  by  the  names 
of  Solyman  and  Abderahman,  were  spared  for  a  time.  Their 
personal  graces,  noble  demeanor,  and  winning  affability,  had 
made  them  many  friends,  while  their  extreme  youth  rendered 
them  objects  of  but  little  dread  to  the  usurper.  Their  safety, 
however,  was  but  transient.  In  a  little  while  the  suspicions 
of  Abu  al  Abbas  were  aroused.  The  unfortunate  Solyman  fell 
beneath  the  scimitar  of  the  executioner.  His  brother  Abder 
ahman  was  warned  of  his  danger  in  time.  Several  of  his 
friends  hastened  to  him,  bringing  him  jewels,  a  disguise,  and  a 
fleet  horse.  "  The  emissaries  of  the  caliph,"  said  they,  "  are  in 
search  of  thee  ;  thy  brother  lies  weltering  in  his  blood ;  fly  to 
the  desert !  There  is  no  safety  for  thee  in  the  habitations  of 
man ! " 

Abderahman  took  the  jewels,  clad  himself  in  the  disguise, 
and  mounting  the  steed,  fled  for  his  life.  As  he  passed,  a 
lonely  fugitive,  by  the  palaces  of  his  ancestors,  in  which  his 
family  had  long  held  sway,  their  very  walls  seemed  disposed 
to  betray  him,  as  they  echoed  the  swift  clattering  of  his  steed. 

Abandoning  his  native  country,  Syria,  where  he  was  liable 
at  each  moment  to  be  recognized  and  taken,  he  took  refuge 


ABDERAHMAN.  249 

among  the  Bedouin  Arabs,  a  half-savage  race  of  shepherds. 
His  youth,  his  inborn  majesty  and  grace,  and  the  sweetness 
and  affability  that  shone  forth  in  his  azure  eyes,  won  the  hearts 
of  these  wandering  men.  He  was  but  twenty  years  of  age, 
and  had  been  reared  in  the  soft  luxury  of  a  palace  ;  but  he 
was  tall  and  vigorous,  and  in  a  little  while  hardened  himself 
so  completely  to  the  rustic  life  of  the  fields,  that  it  seemed 
as  though  he  had  passed  all  his  days  in  the  rude  simplicity  of 
a  shepherd's  cabin. 

His  enemies,  however,  were  upon  his  traces,  and  gave  him 
but  little  rest.  By  day  he  scoured  the  plains  with  the  Bedouins, 
hearing  in  every  blast  the  sound  of  pursuit,  and  fancying  in 
every  distant  cloud  of  dust  a  troop  of  the  caliph's  horsemen. 
His  night  was  passed  in  broken  sleep  and  frequent  watchings, 
and  at  the  earliest  dawn  he  was  the  first  to  put  the  bridle  to 
his  steed. 

Wearied  by  these  perpetual  alarms,  he  bade  farewell  to  his 
friendly  Bedouins,  and  leaving  Egypt  behind,  sought  a  safer 
refuge  in  Western  Africa.  The  province  of  Barca  was  at  that 
time  governed  by  Aben  Habib,  who  had  risen  to  rank  and 
fortune  under  the  fostering  favor  of  the  Ommiades.  "  Surely," 
thought  the  unhappy  prince,  "  I  shall  receive  kindness  and 
protection  from  this  man  ;  he  will  rejoice  to  show  his  gratitude 
for  the  benefits  showered  upon  him  by  my  kindred." 

Abderahman  was  young,  and  as  yet  knew  little  of  mankind. 
None  are  so  hostile  to  the  victim  of  power  as  those  whom  he 
has  befriended.  They  fear  being  suspected  of  gratitude  by 
his  persecutors,  and  involved  in  his  misfortunes. 

The  unfortunate  Abderahman  had  halted  for  a  few  days  to  re 
pose  himself  among  a  horde  of  Bedouins,  who  had  received  him 
with  their  characteristic  hospitality.  They  would  gather  round 

VOL.  1.  12 


250  ABDERAHMAX. 

him  in  the  evenings  to  listen  to  his  conversation,  regarding 
with  wonder  this  gently  spoken  stranger  from  the  more  refined 
country  of  Egypt.  The  old  men  marvelled  to  find  so  much 
knowledge  and  wisdom  in  such  early  youth,  and  the  young 
men,  won  by  his  frank  and  manly  carriage,  entreated  him  to 
remain  among  them. 

In  the  mean  time  the  Wali  Aben  Habib,  like  all  the  gov 
ernors  of  distant  posts,  had  received  orders  from  the  caliph  to 
be  on  the  watch  for  the  fugitive  prince.  Hearing  that  a 
young  man  answering  the  description  had  entered  the  province 
alone,  from  the  frontiers  of  Egypt,  on  a  steed  worn  down  by 
travel,  he  sent  forth  horsemen  in  his  pursuit,  with  orders  to 
bring  him  to  him  dead  or  alive.  The  emissaries  of  the  wali 
traced  him  to  his  resting-place,  and  coming  upon  the  encamp 
ment  in  the  dead  of  the  night,  demanded  of  the  Arabs  whether 
a  young  man,  a  stranger  from  Syria,  did  not  sojourn  among 
their  tribe.  The  Bedouins  knew  by  the  description  that  the 
stranger  must  be  their  guest,  and  feared  some  evil  was  intended 
him.  "  Such  a  youth,"  said  they,  "  has  indeed  sojourned  among 
us ;  but  he  has  gone,  with  some  of  our  young  men,  to  a  distant 
valley  to  hunt  the  lion."  The  emissaries  inquired  the  way  to 
the  place,  and  hastened  on  to  surprise  their  expected  prey. 

The  Bedouins  repaired  to  Abderahman,  who  was  still  sleep 
ing.  "  If  thou  hast  aught  to  fear  from  man  in  power,"  said  they, 
"  arise  and  fly  ;  for  the  horsemen  of  the  wali  are  in  quest  of 
thee  !  We  have  sent  them  off  for  a  time  on  a  wrong  errand, 
but  they  will  soon  return." 

"  Alas !  whither  shall  I  fly  ? "  cried  the  unhappy  prince ; 
"  my  enemies  hunt  me  like  the  ostrich  of  the  desert.  They 
follow  me  like  the  wind,  and  allow  me  neither  safety  nor  re 
pose  ! " 


ABDERAHMAN.  25i 

Six  of  the  bravest  youths  of  the  tribe  stepped  forward.  "  We 
have  steeds,"  said  they,  "  that  can  outstrip  the  wind,  and  hands 
that  can  hurl  the  javelin.  We  will  accompany  thee  in  thy 
flight,  and  will  fight  by  thy  side  while  life  lasts,  and  we  have 
weapons  to  wield." 

Abderahman  embraced  them  with  tears  of  gratitude.  They 
mounted  their  steeds,  and  made  for  the  most  lonely  parts  of 
the  desert.  By  the  faint  light  of  the  stars,  they  passed  through 
dreary  wastes,  and  over  hills  of  sand.  The  lion  roared  and 
the  hyaena  howled  unheeded,  for  they  fled  from  man,  more 
cruel  and  relentless,  when  in  pursuit  of  blood,  than  the  savage 
beasts  of  the  desert. 

At  sunrise  they  paused  to  refresh  themselves  beside  a 
scanty  well,  surrounded  by  a  few  palm-trees.  One  of  the 
young  Arabs  climbed  a  tree,  and  looked  in  every  direction, 
but  not  a  horseman  was  to  be  seen. 

"  We  have  outstripped  pursuit,"  said  the  Bedouins  ;  "  whither 
shall  we  conduct  thee  ?  Where  is  thy  home,  and  the  land  of 
thy  people  ?  " 

"  Home  have  I  none  !  "  replied  Abderahman,  mournfully, 
"  nor  family,  nor  kindred  !  My  native  land  is  to  me  a  land  of 
destruction,  and  my  people  seek  my  life  !  " 

The  hearts  of  the  youthful  Bedouins  were  touched  with  com 
passion  at  these  words,  and  they  marvelled  that  one  so  young 
and  gentle  should  have  suffered  such  great  sorrow  and  perse 
cution. 

Abderahman  sat  by  the  well  and  mused  for  a  time.  At 
length,  breaking  silence,  "  In  the  midst  of  Mauritania,"  said  he, 
"  dwells  the  tribe  of  Zeneta.  My  mother  was  of  that  tribe ; 
and  perhaps  when  her  son  presents  himself,  a  persecuted  wan 
derer,  at  their  door,  they  will  not  turn  him  from  the  threshold." 


252  ABDERAHMAN. 

"  The  Zenetes,"  replied  the  Bedouins,  "  are  among  the  brav 
est  and  most  hospitable  of  the  people  of  Africa.  Never  did 
the  unfortunate  seek  refuge  among  them  in  vain,  nor  was  the 
stranger  repulsed  from  their  door."  So  they  mounted  their 
steeds  with  renewed  spirits,  and  journeyed  with  all  speed  to 
Tahart,  the  capital  of  the  Zenetes/ 

When  Abderahman  entered  the  place,  followed  by  his  six 
rustic  Arabs,  all  wayworn  and  travel-stained,  his  noble  and 
majestic  demeanor  shone  through  the  simple  garb  of  a  Bedouin. 
A  crowd  gathered  around  him  as  he  alighted  from  his  weary 
steed.  Confiding  in  the  well-known  character  of  the  tribe,  he 
no  longer  attempted  concealment. 

"  You  behold  before  you,"  said  he,  "  one  of  the  proscribed 
house  of  Omeya.  I  am  that  Abderahman  upon  whose  head  a 
price  has  been  set,  and  who  has  been  driven  from  land  to  land. 
I  come  to  you  as  my  kindred.  My  mother  was  of  your  tribe, 
and  she  told  me  with  her  dying  breath  that  in  all  time  of  need 
I  would  find  a  home  and  friends  among  the  Zenetes." 

The  words  of  Abderahman  went  straight  to  the  hearts  of 
his  hearers.  They  pitied  his  youth  and  his  great  misfortunes, 
while  they  were  charmed  by  his  frankness,  and  by  the  manly 
graces  of  his  person.  The  tribe  was  of  a  bold  and  generous 
spirit,  and  not  to  be  awed  by  the  frown  of  power.  "  Evil  be 
upon  us  and  upon  our  children,"  said  they,  "  if  we  deceive  the 
trust  thou  hast  placed  in  us  !  " 

One  of  the  noblest,  Xeques,  then  took  Abderahman  to  his 
house,  and  treated  him  as  his  own  child ;  and  the  principal 
people  of  the  tribe  strove  who  most  should  cherish  him  and 
do  him  honor,  —  endeavoring  to  obliterate  by  their  kindness 
the  recollection  of  his  past  misfortunes. 

Abderahman  had  resided  some  time  among  the  hospitable 


ABDERAHMAN.  253 

Zenetes,  when  one  day  two  strangers  of  venerable  appearance, 
attended  by  a  small  retinue,  arrived  at  Tahart.  They  gave 
themselves  out  as  merchants,  and  from  the  simple  style  in 
which  they  travelled,  excited  no  attention.  In  a  little  while 
they  sought  out  Abderahman,  and,  taking  him  apart,  "  Hearken," 
said  they,  "  Abderahman,  of  the  royal  line  of  Omeya.  We  are 
ambassadors,  sent  on  the  part  of  the  principal  Moslems  of 
Spain,  to  offer  thee,  not  merely  an  asylum,  for  that  thou  hast 
already  among  these  brave  Zenetes,  but  an  empire  !  Spain  is 
a  prey  to  distracting  factions,  and  can  no  longer  exist  as  a  de 
pendence  upon  a  throne  too  remote  to  watch  over  its  welfare. 
It  needs  to  be  independent  of  Asia  and  Africa,  and  to  be 
under  the  government  of  a  good  prince,  who  shall  reside  within 
it  and  devote  himself  entirely  to  its  prosperity ;  a  prince  with 
sufficient  title  to  silence  all  rival  claims  and  bring  the  warring 
parties  into  unity  and  peace  ;  and,  at  the  same  time,  with  suffi 
cient  ability  and  virtue  to  insure  the  welfare  of  his  dominions. 
For  this  purpose  the  eyes  of  all  the  honorable  leaders  in  Spain 
have  been  turned  to  thee  as  a  descendant  of  the  royal  line  of 
Omeya,  and  an  offset  from  the  same  stock  as  our  holy  Prophet. 
They  have  heard  of  thy  virtues,  and  of  thy  admirable  con 
stancy  under  misfortunes  ;  and  invite  thee  to  accept  the  sov 
ereignty  of  one  of  the  noblest  countries  in  the  world.  Thou 
wilt  have  some  difficulties  to  encounter  from  hostile  men  ;  but 
thou  wilt  have  on  thy  side  the  bravest  captains  that  have  sig 
nalized  themselves  in  the  conquest  of  the  unbelievers." 

The  ambassadors  ceased,  and  Abderahman  remained  for  a 
time  lost  in  wonder  and  admiration.  "  God  is  great !  "  exclaimed 
he,  at  length  ;  "  there  is  but  one  God,  who  is  God,  and  Mahomet 
is  his  prophet !  Illustrious  ambassadors,  you  have  put  new  life 
into  my  soul,  for  you  have  shown  me  something  to  live  for.  In 


254  ABDERAHMAN. 

the  few  years  that  I  have  lived,  troubles  and  sorrows  have  been 
heaped  upon  my  head,  and  I  have  become  inured  to  hardships 
and  alarms.  Since  it  is  the  wish  of  the  valiant  Moslems  of 
Spain,  I  am  willing  to  become  their  leader  and  defender,  and 
devote  myself  to  their  cause,  be  it  happy  or  disastrous." 

The  ambassadors  now  cautioned  him  to  be  silent  as  to  their 
errand,  and  to  depart  secretly  for  Spain.  "  The  seaboard  of 
Africa,"  said  they,  ''  swarms  with  your  enemies,  and  a  powerful 
faction  in  Spain  would  intercept  you  on  landing,  did  they  know 
your  name  and  rank,  and  the  object  of  your  coming." 

But  Abderahman  replied :  "  I  have  been  cherished  in  ad 
versity  by  these  brave  Zenetes ;  I  have  been  protected  and 
honored  by  them  when  a  price  was  set  upon  my  head,  and  to 
harbor  me  was  great  peril.  How  can  I  keep  my  good  fortune 
from  my  benefactors,  and  desert  their  hospitable  roofs  in 
silence  ?  He  is  unworthy  of  friendship  who  withholds  con 
fidence  from  his  friend." 

Charmed  with  the  generosity  of  his  feelings,  the  ambassadors 
made  no  opposition  to  his  wishes.  The  Zenetes  proved  them 
selves  worthy  of  his  confidence.  They  hailed  with  joy  the 
great  change  in  his  fortunes.  The  warriors  and  the  young 
men  pressed  forward  to  follow  and  aid  them  with  horse  and 
weapon  ;  "  for  the  honor  of  a  noble  house  and  family,"  said 
they,  "  can  be  maintained  only  by  lances  and  horsemen."  In 
a  few  days  he  set  forth  with  the  ambassadors,  at  the  head  of 
nearly  a  thousand  horsemen,  skilled  in  war,  and  exercised  in 
the  desert,  and  a  large  body  of  infantry,  armed  with  lances. 
The  venerable  Xeque,  with  whom  he  had  resided,  blessed  him, 
and  shed  tears  over  him  at  parting,  as  though  he  had  been  bis 
own  child  ;  and  when  the  youth  passed  over  the  threshold,  the 
house  was  filled  with  lamentations. 


ABDERAHMAN.  255 


CHAPTER   II. 

LANDING    OF    ABDERAHMAN    IN    SPAIN.  CONDITION    OF    THE 

COUNTRY. 

ABDERAHMAN  BEN  OMETA  arrived  in  safety  on  the  coast  of 
Andalusia  and  landed  at  Almunecar,  or  Malaga,  with  his  little 
band  of  warlike  Zenetes.  Spain  was  at  that  time  in  great  con 
fusion.  Upwards  of  forty  years  had  elapsed  since  the  Conquest. 
The  .civil  wars  in  Syria  and  Egypt,  and  occasional  revolts  in 
Africa,  had  caused  frequent  overflowings  of  different  tribes  into 
Spain,  which  was  a  place  of  common  refuge.  Hither,  too, 
came  the  fragments  of  defeated  armies,  desperate  in  fortune, 
with  weapons  in  their  hands.  These  settled  themselves  in 
various  parts  of  the  peninsula,  which  thus  became  divided  be 
tween  the  Arabs  of  Yemen,  the  Egyptians,  the  Syrians,  and  the 
Alabdarides.  The  distractions  in  its  eastern  and  African  prov 
inces  prevented  the  main  government  at  Damascus  from 
exercising  any  control  over  its  distant  and  recently  acquired 
territory  in  Spain,  which  soon  became  broken  up  into  factions 
and  a  scene  of  all  kinds  of  abuses.  Every  sheik  and  wali 
considered  the  town  or  province  committed  to  his  charge  an 
absolute  property,  and  practised  the  most  arbitrary  extortions. 
These  excesses  at  length  became  insupportable,  and  at  a  con 
vocation  of  the  principal  leaders  it  was  determined,  as  a  means 
of  ending  these  dissensions,  to  unite  all  the  Moslem  provinces 
of  the  peninsula  under  one  emir,  or  general  governor.  Yusuf 
el  Fehri,  an  ancient  man  of  honorable  lineage,  being  of  the 


256  ABDERAHMAN. 

tribe  of  Koreish,  and  a  descendant  of  Ocba  the  conqueror  of 
Africa,  was  chosen  for  this  station.  He  began  his  reign  with 
policy,  and  endeavored  to  conciliate  all  parties.  At  the  head 
of  the  Egyptian  faction  was  a  veteran  warrior,  named  Samael, 
to  whom  Yusuf  gave  the  government  of  Toledo,  and  to  his 
son  that  of  Saragossa.  At  the  head  of  the  Alabdarides  was 
Amer  ben  Amru,  Emir  of  the  Seas  ;  his  office  being  sup 
pressed,  Yusuf  gave  him  in  place  thereof  the  government  of  the 
noble  city  of  Seville.  Thus  he  proceeded  distributing  honors 
and  commands,  and  flattered  himself  that  he  secured  the 
loyalty  and  good-will  of  every  one  whom  he  benefited. 

Who  shall  pretend,  says  the  Arabian  sage,  to  content  the 
human  heart  by  benefits,  when  even  the  bounties  of  Allah  are 
ineffectual  ?  In  seeking  to  befriend  all  parties,  Yusuf  created 
for  himself  inveterate  enemies.  Amer  ben  Amru,  powerful 
from  his  wealth  and  connections  and  proud  of  his  descent  from 
Mosab,  the  standard-bearer  of  the  Prophet  in  the  battle  of 
Beder,  was  indignant  that  Samael  and  his  son,  with  whom  he 

'  O  * 

was  at  deadly  feud,  should  be  appointed  to  such  important  com 
mands.  He  demanded  one  of  those  posts  for  himself,  and  was 
refused.  An  insurrection  and  a  civil  war  was  the  consequence  ; 
and  the  country  was  laid  waste  with  fire  and  sword.  The  in 
habitants  of  the  villages  fled  to  the  cities  for  refuge  ;  flourish 
ing  towns  disappeared  from  the  face  of  tke  earth,  or  were 
reduced  to  heaps  of  rubbish. 

In  these  dismal  times,  say  the  Arabian  chroniclers,  the  very 
heavens  gave  omens  of  the  distress  and  desolation  of  the  earth. 
At  Cordova  two  pale  and  livid  suns  were  seen  shedding  a 
baleful  light.  In  the  north  appeared  a  flaming  scythe,  and  the 
heavens  were  red  as  blood.  These  were  regarded  as  presages 
of  direful  calamities  and  bloody  wars. 


ABDERAHMAN.  257 

At  the  time  of  the  landing  of  Abderahman  in  Spain,  Yusuf 
had  captured  Saragossa,  in  which  was  Amer  ben  Amru,  with  his 
son  and  secretary,  and  loading  them  with  chains  and  putting 
them  on  camels,  he  set  out  on  his  return  to  Cordova.  He  had 
halted  one  day  in  a  valley  called  Wadaramla,  and  was  reposing 
with  his  family  in  his  tent,  while  his  people  and  the  prisoners 
made  a  repast  in  the  open  air.  The  heart  of-  the  old  emir'was 
lifted  up,  for  he  thought  there  was  no  one  to  dispute  with  him 
the  domination  of  Spain.  In  the  midst  of  his  exultation  some 
horsemen  were  seen  spurring  up  the  valley,  bearing  the  stand 
ard  of  the  Wali  Samael. 

That  officer  arrived,  covered  with  dust  and  exhausted  with 
fatigue.  He  brought  tidings  of  the  arrival  of  Abderahman, 
and  that  the  whole  seaboard  was  flocking  to  his  standard. 
Messenger  after  messenger  arrived  confirming  the  fearful 
tidings,  and  adding  that  this  descendant  of  the  Omeyas  had 
been  secretly  invited  to  Spain  by  Amru  and  his  party. 

Yusuf  waited  not  to  ascertain  the  truth  of  this  accusation. 
In  a  transport  of  fury  he  ordered  that  Amru,  his  son,  and  sec 
retary  should  be  cut  to  pieces.  His  orders  were  instantly  ex 
ecuted  ;  and  this  cruelty,  adds  the  Arabian  chronicler,  lost  him 
the  favor  of  Allah;  for  from  that  time  success  deserted  his 
standard. 

12* 


258  ABDERAHMAN. 


CHAPTER   III. 

TRIUMPHS     OF     ABDERAHMAN. THE     PALM-TREE     WHICH     HE 

PLANTED,    AND    THE    VERSES    HE    COMPOSED     THEREUPON. 

INSURRECTIONS. HIS     ENEMIES     SUBDUED.  UNDISPUTED 

SOVEREIGN    OF  THE    MOSLEMS    OF    SPAIN. BEGINS    THE    FA 
MOUS    MOSQUE    IN    CORDOVA. HIS    DEATH. 

ABDERAHMAN  had  indeed  been  hailed  with  joy  on  his  land 
ing.  The  old  people  hoped  to  find  tranquillity  under  the  sway 
of  one  supreme  chieftain,  descended  from  their  ancient  caliphs  ; 
the  young  men  were  rejoiced  to  have  a  youthful  warrior  to  lead 
them  on  to  victories ;  and  the  populace,  charmed  with  his  fresh 
ness  and  manly  beauty,  his  majestic  yet  gracious  and  affable 
demeanor,  shouted,  "Long 'live  Abderahman,  Miramamolin  of 
Spain  ! " 

In  a  few  days  the  youthful  sovereign  saw  himself  at  the  head 
of  more  than  twenty  thousand  men,  from  the  neighborhood  of 
Elvira,  Almeria,  Malaga,  Xeres,  and  Sidonia.  Fair  Seville 
threw  open  its  gates  at  his  approach,  and  celebrated  his  arrival 
with  public  rejoicings.  He  continued  his  march  into  the  coun 
try,  vanquished  one  of  the  sons  of  Yusuf  before  the  gates  of 
Cordova,  and  obliged  him  to  take  refuge  within  its  walls,  where 
he  held  him  in  close  siege.  Hearing,  however,  of  the  approach 
of  Yusuf,  the  father,  with  a  powerful  army,  he  divided  his 
forces,  and  leaving  ten  thousand  men  to  press  the  siege,  he 
hastened  with  the  other  ten  to  meet  the  coming  foe. 

Yusuf  had  indeed  mustered  a  formidable  force,  from  the 


ABDERAHMAN.  259 

east  and  south  of  Spain,  and  accompanied  by  his  veteran  gen 
eral,  Samael,  came  with  confident  boasting  to  drive  this  intruder 
from  the  land.  His  confidence  increased  on  beholding  the 
small  army  of  Abderahman.  Turning  to  Samael,  he  repeated, 
with  a  scornful  sneer,  a  verse  from  an  Arabian  poetess,  which 
says :  — 

"  How  hard  is  our  lot !  We  come,  a  thirsty  multitude,  and 
lo  !  but  this  cup  of  water  to  share  among  us  !  " 

There  was  indeed  a  fearful  odds.  On  the  one  side  were  two 
veteran  generals,  grown  gray  in  victory,  with  a  mighty  host  of 
warriors,  seasoned  in  the  wars  of  Spain.  On  the  other  side 
was  a  mere  youth,  scarce  attained  to  manhood,  with  a  hasty 
levy  of  half-disciplined  troops  ;  but  the  youth  was  a  prince, 
flushed  with  hope,  and  aspiring  after  fame  and  empire,  and 
surrounded  by  a  devoted  band  of  warriors  from  Africa,  whose 
example  infused  zeal  into  the  little  army. 

The  encounter  took  place  at  daybreak.  The  impetuous  valor 
of  the  Zenetes  carried  everything  before  it.  The  cavalry  of 
Yusuf  was  broken  and  driven  back  upon  the  infantry,  and  be 
fore  noon  the  whole  host  was  put  to  headlong  flight.  Yusuf 
and  Samael  were  borne  along  in  the  torrent  of  the  fugitives, 
raging  and  storming,  and  making  ineffectual  efforts  to  rally 
them.  They  were  separated  widely  in  the  confusion  of  the 
flight,'  one  taking  refuge  in  the  Algarves,  the  other  in  the  king 
dom  of  Murcia.  They  afterward  rallied,  reunited  their  forces, 
and  made  another  desperate  stand  near  to  Almunecar.  The 
battle  was  obstinate  and  bloody,  but  they  were  again  defeated, 
and  driven,  with  a  handful  of  followers,  to  take  refuge  in  the 
rugged  mountains  adjacent  to  Elvira. 

The  spirit  of  the  veteran  Samael  gave  way  before  these  fear 
ful  reverses.  "  In  vain,  O  Yusuf !  "  said  he,  "  do  we  contend 


260  ABDERAHMAN. 

*• 

with  the  prosperous  star  of  this  youthful  conqueror ;  the  will 
of  Allah  be  done !  Let  us  submit  to  our  fate,  and  sue  for  fa 
vorable  terms  while  we  have  yet  the  means  of  capitulation." 

It  was  a  hard  trial  for  the  proud  spirit  of  Yusuf,  that  had 
once  aspired  to  uncontrolled  sway ;  but  he  was  compelled  to 
capitulate.  Abderahman  was  as  generous  as  brave.  He 
granted  the  two  gray-headed  generals  the  most  honorable  con 
ditions,  and  even  took  the  veteran  Samael  into  favor,  employ 
ing  him,  as  a  mark  of  confidence,  to  visit  the  eastern  provinces 
of  Spain,  and  restore  them  to  tranquillity.  Yusuf,  having  de 
livered  up  Elvira  and  Granada,  and  complied  with  other  arti 
cles  of  his  capitulation,  was  permitted  to  retire  to  Murcia,  and 
rejoin  his  son  Muhamad.  A  general  amnesty  to  all  chiefs  and 
soldiers  who  should  yield  up  their  strongholds  and  lay  down 
their  arms  completed  the  triumph  of  Abderahman,  and  brought 
all  hearts  into  obedience.  Thus  terminated  this  severe  strug 
gle  for  the  domination  of  Spain ;  and  thus  the  illustrious  family 
of  Omeya,  after  having  been*  cast  down  and  almost  extermi 
nated  in  the  East,  took  new  root,  and  sprang  forth  prosperously 
in  the  "West. 

Wherever  Abderahman  appeared,  he  was  received  with  rapt 
urous  acclamations.  As  he  rode  through  the  cities,  the  popu 
lace  rent  the  air  with  shouts  of  joy ;  the  stately  palaces  were 
crowded  with  spectators,  eager  to  gain  a  sight  of  his  graceful 
form  and  beaming  countenance;  and  when  they  beheld  the 
mingled  majesty  and  benignity  of  their  new  monarch,  and  the 
sweetness  and  gentleness  of  his  whole  conduct,  they  extolled 
him  as  something  more  than  mortal,  —  as  a  beneficent  genius, 
sent  for  the  happiness  of  Spain. 

In  the  interval  of  peace  which  now  succeeded,  Abderah 
man  occupied  himself  in  promoting  the  useful  and  elegant  arts, 


ABDERAHMAN.  261 

and  in  introducing  into  Spain  the  refinements  of  the  East. 
Considering  the  building  and  ornamenting  of  cities  as  among 
the  noblest  employments  of  the  tranquil  hours  of  princes,  he 
bestowed  great  pains  upon  beautifying  the  city  of  Cordova  and 
its  environs.  He  reconstructed  banks  and  dykes  to  keep  the 
Guadalquivir  from  overflowing  its  borders,  and  on  the  vast  ter 
races  thus  formed  he  planted  delightful  gardens.  In  the  midst 
of  these  he  erected  a  lofty  tower,  commanding  a  view  of  the 
vast  and  fruitful  valley,  enlivened  by  the  windings  of  the  river. 
In  this  tower  would  he  pass  hours  of  meditation,  gazing  on  the 
soft  and  varied  landscape,  and  inhaling  the  bland  and  balmy 
airs  of  that  delightful  region.  At  such  times  his  thoughts 
would  recur  to  the  past,  and  the  misfortunes  of  his  youth  ;  the 
massacre  of  his  family  would  rise  to  view,  mingled  with  tender 
recollections  of  his  native  country,  from  which  he  was  exiled. 
In  these  melancholy  musings,  he  would  sit  with  his  eyes  fixed 
upon  a  palm-tree  which  he  had  planted  in  the  midst  of  his 
garden.  It  is  said  to  have  been  the  first  ever  planted  in  Spain, 
and  to  have  been  the  parent  stock  of  all  the  palm-trees  which 
grace  the  southern  provinces  of  the  peninsula.  The  heart  of 
Abderahman  yearned  toward  this  tree ;.  it  was  the  offspring  of 
his  native  country,  and  like  him  an  exile.  In  one  of  his  moods 
of  tenderness  he  composed  verses  upon  it,  which  have  since 
become  famous  throughout  the  world.  The  following  is  a  rude 
but  literal  translation  :  — 

"  Beauteous  palm  !  thou  also  wert  hither  brought  a  stranger ; 
but  thy  roots  have  found  a  kindly  soil,  thy  head  is  lifted  to  the 
skies,  and  the  sweet  airs  of  Algarve  fondle  and  kiss  thy 
branches. 

"  Thou  hast  known,  like  me,  the  storms  of  adverse  fortune. 
Bitter  tears  wouldst  thou  shed,  couldst  thou  feel  my  woes, 


262  ABDERAHMAN. 

Repeated  griefs  have  overwhelmed  me.  With  early  tears  I 
bedewed  the  palms  on  the  banks  of  the  Euphrates  ;  but  neither 
tree  nor  river  heeded  my  sorrows,  when  driven  by  cruel  fate 
and  the  ferocious  Abu  al  Abbas,  from  the  scenes  of  my  child 
hood  and  the  sweet  objects  of  my  affection. 

"  To  thee  no  remembrance  remains  of  my  beloved  country  ; 
I,  unhappy  !  can  never  recall  it  without  tears !  " 

The  generosity  of  Abderahman  to  his  vanquished  foes  was 
destined  to  be  abused.  The  veteran  Yusuf,  in  visiting  certain 
of  the  cities  which  he  had  surrendered,  found  himself  sur 
rounded  by  zealous  partisans,  ready  to  peril  life  in  his  service. 
The  love  of  command  revived  in  his  bosom,  and  he  repented 
the  facility  with  which  he  had  suffered  himself  to  be  persuaded 
to  submission.  Flushed  with  new  hopes  of  success,  he  caused 
arms  to  be  secretly  collected  and  deposited  in  various  villages, 
most  zealous  in  their  professions  of  devotion,  and  raising  a  con 
siderable  body  of  troops,  seized  upon  the  castle  of  Almodovar. 
The  rash  rebellion  was  short-lived.  At  the  first  appearance  of 
an  army  sent  by  Abderahman,  and  commanded  by  Abdelmelee, 
Governor  of  Seville,  the  villages  which  had  so  recently  pro 
fessed  loyalty  to  Yusuf,  hastened  to  declare  their  attachment 
to  the  monarch,  and  to  give  up  the  concealed  arms.  Almodo 
var  was  soon  retaken,  and  Yusuf,  driven  to  the  environs  of 
Lorea,  was  surrounded  by  the  cavalry  of  Abdelmelee.  The 
veteran  endeavored  to  cut  a  passage  through  the  enemy,  but 
after  fighting  with  desperate  fury,  and  with  a  force  of  arm  in 
credible  in  one  of  his  age,  he  fell  beneath  blows  from  weapons 
of  all  kinds,  so  that  after  the  battle  his  body  could  scarcely  be 
recognized,  so  numerous  were  the  wounds.  His  head  was  cut 
off  and  sent  to  Cordova,  where  it  was  placed  in  an  iron  cage, 
over  the  gate  of  the  city. 


ABDERAHMAN.  263 

The  old  lion  was  dead,  but  his  whelps  survived.  Yusuf  had 
left  three  sons,  who  inherited  his  warlike  spirit,  and  were  eager 
to  revenge  his  death.  Collecting  a  number  of  the  scattered 
adherents  of  their  house,  they  surprised  and  seized  upon  To 
ledo,  during  the  absence  of  Temam,  its  wali  or  commander. 
In  this  old  warrior  city,  built  upon  a  rock,  and  almost  sur 
rounded  by  the  Tagus,  they  set  up  a  kind  of  robber  hold, 
scouring  the  surrounding  country,  levying  tribute,  seizing  upon 
horses,  and  compelling  the  peasantry  to  join  their  standard. 
Every  day  cavalcades  of  horses  and  mules,  laden  with  spoil, 
with  flocks  of  sheep,  and  droves  of  cattle,  came  pouring  over 
the  bridges  on  either  side  of  the  city,  and  thronging  in  at  the 
gates,  —  the  plunder  of  the  surrounding  country.  Those  of  the 
inhabitants  who  were  still  loyal  to  Abderahman  dared  not  lift 
up  their  voices,  for  men  of  the  sword  bore  sway.  At  length 
one  day,  when  the  sons  of  Yusuf,  with  their  choicest  troops, 
were  out  on  a  maraud,  the  watchmen  on  the  towers  gave  the 
alarm.  A  troop  of  scattered  horsemen  were  spurring  wildly 
toward  the  gates.  The  banners  of  the  sons  of  Yusuf  were  de 
scried.  Two  of  them  spurred  into  the  city,  followed  by  a  hand 
ful  of  warriors,  covered  with  confusion  and  dismay.  They  had 
been  encountered  and  defeated  by  the  Wali  Temam,  and  one 
of  the  brothers  had  been  slain. 

The  gates  were  secured  in  all  haste,  and  the  walls  were 
scarcely  manned  when  Temam  appeared  before  them  with  his 
troops,  and  summoned  the  city  to  surrender.  A  great  internal 
commotion  ensued  between  the  loyalists  and  the  insurgents ; 
the  latter,  however,  had  weapons  in  their  hands,  and  prevailed  ; 
and  for  several  days,  trusting  to  the  strength  of  their  rock- 
built  fortress,  they  set  the  wali  at  defiance.  At  length  some 
of  the  loyal  inhabitants  of  Toledo,  who  knew  all  its  secret  and 


264  ABDKRAHMAN. 

subterraneous  passages,  some  of  which,  if  chroniclers  may  be 
believed,  have  existed  since  the  days  of  Hercules,  if  not  of 
Tubal  Cain,  introduced  Temam,  and  a  chosen  band  of  his  war 
riors,  into  the  very  centre  of  the  city,  where  they  suddenly  ap 
peared  as  if  by  magic.  A  panic  seized  upon  the  insurgents. 
Some  sought  safety  in  submission,  some  in  concealment,  some 
in  flight.  Casim,  one  of  the  sons  of  Yusuf,  escaped  in  dis 
guise  ;  the  youngest,  unharmed,  was  taken,  and  was  sent  cap 
tive  to  the  king,  accompanied  by  the  head  of  his  brother,  who 
had  been  slain  in  battle. 

When  Abderahman  beheld  the  youth  laden  with  chains,  he 
remembered  his  own  sufferings  in  his  early  days,  and  had  com 
passion  on  him  ;  but,  to  prevent  him  from  doing  further  mis 
chief,  he  imprisoned  him  in  a  tower  of  the  wall  of  Cordova. 

In  the  mean  time,  Casim,  who  had  escaped,  managed  to  raise 
another  band  of  warriors.  Spain,  in  all  ages  a  guerilla  coun 
try,  prone  to 'partisan  warfare  and  petty  maraud,  was  at  that 
time  infested  by  bands  of  licentious  troops,  who  had  sprung  up 
in  the  civil  contests ;  their  only  object  pillage,  their  only  de 
pendence  the  sword,  and  ready  to  flock  to  any  new  and  desper 
ate  standard  that  promised  the  greatest  license.  With  a  ruf 
fian  force  thus  levied,  Casim  scoured  the  country,  took  Sidonia 
by  storm,  and  surprised  Seville  while  in  a  state  of  unsuspecting 
security. 

Abderahman  put  himself  at  the  head  of  his  faithful  Zenetes, 
and  took  the  field  in  person.  By  the  rapidity  of  his  move 
ments  the  rebels  were  defeated,  Sidonia  and  Seville  speedily 
retaken,  and  Casim  was  made  prisoner.  The  generosity  of 
Abderahman  was  again  exhibited  toward  this  unfortunate  son 
of  Yusuf.  He  spared  his  life,  and  sent  him  to  be  confined  in  a 
tower  at  Toledo. 


ABDERAHMAN.  2G5 

The  veteran  Samael  had  taken  no  part  in  these  insurrections, 
but  had  attended  faithfully  to  the  affairs  intrusted  to  him  by 
Abderahman.  The  death  of  his  old  friend  and  colleague, 
Yusuf,  however,  and  the  subsequent  disasters  of  his  family, 
filled  him  with  despondency.  Fearing  the  inconstancy  of  for 
tune,  and  the  dangers  incident  to  public  employ,  he  entreated 
the  king  to  be  permitted  to  retire  to  his  house  in  Seguenza, 
and  indulge  a  privacy  and  repose  suited  to  his  advanced  age. 
His  prayer  was  granted.  The  veteran  laid  by  his  arms,  bat 
tered  in  a  thousand  conflicts  ;  hung  his  sword  and  lance  against 
the  wall,  and  surrounded  by  a  few  friends,  gave  himself  up  ap 
parently  to  the  sweets  of  quiet  and  unambitious  leisure. 

Who  can  count,  however,  upon  the  tranquil  content  of  a 
heart  nurtured  amid  the  storms  of  war  and  ambition  ?  Under 
the  ashes  of  this  outward  humility  were  glowing  the  coals  of 
faction.  In  his  seemingly  philosophical  retirement,  Samael  was 
concerting  with  his  friends  new  treason  against  Abderahman. 
His  plot  was  discovered ;  his  house  was  suddenly  surrounded 
by  troops  ;  and  he  was  conveyed  to  a  tower  at  Toledo,  where, 
in  the  course  of  a  few  months,  he  died  in  captivity. 

The  magnanimity  of  Abderahman  was  again  put  to  the  proof 
by  a  new  insurrection  at  Toledo.  Hixem  ben  Adra,  a  relation 
of  Yusuf,  seized  upon  the  Alcazar,  or  citadel,  slew  several  of 
the  royal  adherents  of  the  king,  liberated  Casim  from  his 
tower,  and,  summoning  all  the  banditti  of  the  country,  soon 
mustered  a  force  of  ten  thousand  men.  Abderahman  was 
quickly  before  the  walls  of  Toledo,  with  the  troops  of  Cordova 
and  his  devoted  Zenetes.  The  rebels  were  brought  to  terms, 
and  surrendered  the  city  on  promise  of  general  pardon,  which 
was  extended  even  to  Hixem  and  Casim.  When  the  chieftains 
saw  Hixem  and  his  principal  confederates  in  the  power  of  Abd- 


266  ABDERAHMAN. 

erahman,  they  advised  him  to  put  them  all  to  death.  "A 
promise  given  to  traitors  and  rebels,"  said  they,  "  is  not  binding 
when  it  is  to  the  interest  of  the  state  that  it  should  be  broken.' 

"  No !  "  replied  Abderahman,  "  if  the  safety  of  my  throne 
were  at  stake,  I  would  not  break  my  word."  So  saying,  he 
confirmed  the  amnesty,  and  granted  Hixem  ben  Adra  a  worth 
less  life,  to  be  employed  in  farther  treason. 

Scarcely  had  Abderahman  returned  from  this  expedition, 
when  a  powerful  army,  sent  by  the  caliph,  landed  from  Africa 
on  the  coast  of  the  Algarves.  The  commander,  Aly  ben  Mo- 
gueth,  Emir  of  Cairvan,  elevated  a  rich  banner  which  he  had 
received  from  the  hands  of  the  caliph.  Wherever  he  went,  he 
ordered  the  caliph  of  the  East  to  be  proclaimed  by  sound  of 
trumpet,  denouncing  Abderahman  as  a  usurper,  the  vagrant 
member  of  a  family  proscribed  and  execrated  in  all  the  mosques 
of  the  East. 

One  of  the  first  to  join  his  standard  was  Hixem  ben  Adra, 
so  recently  pardoned  by  Abderahman.  He  seized  upon  the 
citadel  of  Toledo,  and  repairing  to  the  camp  of  Aly,  offered 
to  deliver  the  city  into  his  hands. 

Abderahman,  as  bold  in  war  as  he  was  gentle  in  peace, 
took  the  field  with  his  wonted  promptness ;  overthrew  his 
enemies  with  great  slaughter ;  drove  some  to  the  sea-coast 
to  regain  their  ships,  and  others  to  the  mountains.  The  body 
of  Aly  was  found  on  the  field  of  battle.  Abderahman  caused 
the  head  to  be  struck  off,  and  conveyed  to  Cairvan,  where 
it  was  affixed  at  night  to  a  column  in  the  public  square,  with 
this  inscription,  —  "  Thus  Abderahman,  the  descendant  of  the 
Omeyas,  punishes  the  rash  and  arrogant." 

Hixem  ben  Adra  escaped  from  the  field  of  battle,  and 
excited  farther  troubles,  but  was  eventually  captured  by 


ABDERAHMAN.  267 

Abdelmelee,  who  ordered  his  head  to  be  struck  off  on  the 
spot,  lest  he  should  again  be  spared  through  the  wonted 
clemency  of  Abderahman. 

Notwithstanding  these  signal  triumphs,  the  reign  of  Abd 
erahman  was  disturbed  by  farther  insurrections,  and  by  another 
descent  from  Africa,  but  he  was  victorious  over  them  all ; 
striking  the  roots  of  his  power  deeper  and  deeper  into  the 
land.  Under  his  sway,  the  government  of  Spain  became 
more  regular  and  consolidated,  and  acquired  an  indepen 
dence  of  the  empire  of  the  P^ast.  The  caliph  continued  to 
be  considered  as  first  pontiff  and  chief  of  the  religion,  but 
he  ceased  to  have  any  temporal  power  over  Spain. 

Having  again  an  interval  of  peace,  Abderahman  devoted 
himself  to  the  education  of  his  children.  Suleiman,  the 
eldest,  he  appointed  wali,  or  governor,  of  Toledo ;  Abdallah, 
the  second,  was  intrusted  with  the  command  of  Merida ;  but 
the  third  son,  Hixem,  was  the  delight  of  his  heart,  the  son 
of  Howara,  his  favorite  sultana,  whom  he  loved  throughout 
life  with  the  utmost  tenderness.  With  this  youth,  who  was 
full  of  promise,  he  relaxed  from  the  fatigues  of  government ; 
joining  in  his  youthful  sports  amidst  the  delightful  gardens 
of  Cordova,  and  teaching  him  the  gentle  art  of  falconry,  of 
which  the  king  was  so  fond  that  he  received  the  name  of 
the  Falcon  of  Coraixi. 

While  Abderahman  was  thus  indulging  in  the  gentle  pro 
pensities  of  his  nature,  mischief  was  secretly  at  work.  Muha- 
mad,  the  youngest  son  of  Yusuf,  had  been  for  many  years 
a  prisoner  in  the  tower  of  Cordova.  Being  passive  and 
resigned,  his  keepers  relaxed  their  vigilance,  and  brought 
him  forth  from  his  dungeon.  He  went  groping  about,  how 
ever,  in  broad  daylight,  as  if  still  in  the  darkness  of  his 


268  ABDERAHMAN. 

tower.  His  guards  watched  him  narrowly,  lest  this  should 
be  a  deception,  but  were  at  length  convinced  that  the  long 
absence  of  light  had  rendered  him  blind.  They  now  per 
mitted  him  to  descend  frequently  to  the  lower  chambers  of 
the  tower,  and  to  sleep  there  occasionally  during  the  heats 
of  summer.  They  even  allowed  him  to  grope  his  way  to 
the  cistern,  in  quest  of  water  for  his  ablutions. 

A  year  passed  in  this  way,  without  anything  to  excite  sus 
picion.  During  all  this  time,  however,  the  blindness  of 
Muhamad  was  entirely  a  deception  ;  and  he  was  concerting 
a  plan  of  escape,  through  the  aid  of  some  friends  of  his 
father,  who  found  means  to  visit  him  occasionally.  One  sul 
try  evening  in  midsummer  the  guards  had  gone  to  bathe  in 
the  Guadalquivir,  leaving  Muhamad  alone,  in  the  lower 
chambers  of  the  tower.  No  sooner  were  they  out  of  sight 
and  hearing,  than  he  hastened  to  a  window  of  the  staircase, 
leading  down  to  the  cistern,  lowered  himself  as  far  as  his 
arms  would  reach,  and  dropped  without  injury  to  the  ground. 
Plunging  into  the  Guadalquivir,  he  swam  across  to  a  thick 
grove  on  the  opposite  side,  where  his  friends  were  waiting 
to  receive  him.  Here,  mounting  a  horse  which  they  had 
provided  for  an  event  of  the  kind,  he  fled  across  the  country, 
by  solitary  roads,  and  made  good  his  escape  to  the  mountains 
of  Jaen. 

The  guardians  of  the  tower  dreaded  for  some  time  to  make 
known  his  flight  to  Abderahman.  When  at  length  it  was 
told  to  him,  he  exclaimed,  —  "  All  is  the  work  of  eternal  wis 
dom  ;  it  is  intended  to  teach  us  that  we  cannot  benefit  the 
wicked  without  injuring  the  good.  The  flight  of  that  blind 
man  will  cause  much  trouble  and  bloodshed." 

His  predictions  were  verified.     Muhamad  reared  the  stand- 


ABDEKAHMAN.  269 

ard  of  rebellion  in  the  mountains ;  the  seditious  and  dis 
contented  of  all  kinds  hastened  to  join  it,  together  with  sol 
diers  of  fortune,  or  rather  wandering  banditti,  and  he  had 
soon  six  thousand  men,  well  armed,  hardy  in  habits,  and  des 
perate  in  character.  His  brother  Casim  also  reappeared 
about  the  same  time,  in  the  mountains  of  Honda,  at  the  head 
of  a  daring  band,  that  laid  all  the  neighboring  valleys  under 
contribution. 

Abderahman  summoned  his  alcaydes  from  their  various 
military  posts,  to  assist  in  driving  the  rebels  from  their  moun 
tain  fastnesses  into  the  plains.  It  was  a  dangerous  and  pro 
tracted  toil,  for  the  mountains  were  frightfully  wild  and  rug 
ged.  He  entered  them  with  a  powerful  host,  driving  the 
rebels  from  height  to  height,  and  valley  to  valley,  and  harass 
ing  them  by  a  galling  fire  from  thousands  of  cross-bows. 
At  length  a  decisive  battle  took  place  near  the  river  Gua- 
dalemar.  The  rebels  were  signally  defeated;  four  thousand 
fell  in  action  ;  many  were  drowned  in  the  river,  and  Muhamad, 
with  a  few  horsemen,  escaped  to  the  mountains  of  the  Al- 
garves.  Here  he  was  hunted  by  the  alcaydes  from  one  des 
olate  retreat  to  another ;  his  few  followers  grew  tired  of  shar 
ing  the  disastrous  fortunes  of  a ,  fated  man,  one  by  one  de 
serted  him,  and  he  himself  deserted  the  remainder,  fearing 
they  might  give  him  up,  to  purchase  their  own  pardon. 

Lonely  and  disguised,  he  plunged  into  the  depths  of  the 
forests,  or  lurked  in  dens  and  caverns,  like  a  famished 
wolf,  often  casting  back  his  thoughts  with  regret  to  the 
time  of  his  captivity  in  the  gloomy  tower  of  Cordova.  Hun 
ger  at  length  drove  him  to  Alarcon,  at  the  risk  of  being  dis 
covered.  Famine  and  misery,  however,  had  so  wasted  and 
changed  him,  that  he  was  not  recognized.  He  remained 


270  ABDERAHMAN. 

nearly  a  year  in  Alarcon,  unnoticed  and  unknown,  yet  con 
stantly  tormenting  himself  with  the  dread  of  discovery,  and 
with  groundless  fears  of  the  vengeance  of  Abderahman. 
Death  at  length  put  an  end  to  his  wretchedness. 

A  milder  fate  attended  his  brother  Casim.  Being  defeated 
in  the  mountains  of  Murcia,  he  was  conducted  in  chains  to 
Cordova.  On  coming  into  the  presence  of  Abderahman, 
his  once  fierce  and  haughty  spirit,  broken  by  distress,  gave 
way ;  he  threw  himself  on  the  earth,  kissed  the  dust  beneath 
the  feet  of  the  king,  and  implored  his  clemency.  The  benig 
nant  heart  of  Abderahman  was  filled  with  melancholy,  rather 
than  exultation,  at  beholding  this  wreck  of  the  once  haughty 
family  of  Yusuf  a  suppliant  at  his  feet,  and  suing  for  mere 
existence.  He  thought  upon  the  mutability  of  Fortune,  and 
felt  how  insecure  are  all  her  favors.  He  raised  the  unhappy 
Casim  from  the  earth,  ordered  his  irons  to  be  taken  off,  and, 
not  content  with  mere  forgiveness,  treated  him  with  honor, 
and  gave  him  possessions  in  Seville,  where  he  might  live  in 
state  conformable  to  the  ancient  dignity  of  his  family.  Won 
by  this  great  and  persevering  magnanimity,  Casim  ever  after 
remained  one  of  the  most  devoted  of  his  subjects. 

All  the  enemies  of  Abderahman  were  at  length  subdued  ; 
he  reigned  undisputed  sovereign  of  the  Moslems  of  Spain  ; 
and  so  benign  was  his  government,  that  every  one  blessed 
the  revival  of  the  illustrious  line  of  Omeya.  He  was  at  all 
times  accessible  to  the  humblest  of  his  subjects  ;  the  poor 
man  ever  found  in  him  a  friend,  and  the  oppressed  a  pro 
tector.  He  improved  the  administration  of  justice ;  estab 
lished  schools  for  public  instruction  ;  encouraged  poets  and 
men  of  letters,  and  cultivated  the  sciences.  He  built 
mosques  in  every  city  that  he  visited ;  inculcated  religion  by 


ABDERAHMAN.  271 

example  as  well  as  by  precept ;  and  celebrated  all  the  festi 
vals  prescribed  by  the  Koran  with  the  utmost  magnificence. 

As  a  monument  of  gratitude  to  God  for  the  prosperity 
with  which  he  had  been  favored,  he  undertook  to  erect  a 
mosque  in  his  favorite  city  of  Cordova  that  should  rival  in 
splendor  the  great  mosque  of  Damascus,  and  excel  the  one 
recently  erected  in  Bagdad  by  the  Abassides,  the  supplanters 
of  his  family. 

It  is  said  that  he  himself  furnished  the  plan  for  this  famous 
edifice,  and  even  worked  on  it,  with  his  own  hands,  one  hour 
in  each  day,  to  testify  his  zeal  and  humility  in  the  service 
of  God,  and  to  animate  his  workmen.  He  did  not  live  to 
see  it  completed,  but  it  was  finished  according  to  his  plans 
by  his  son  Hixem.  When  finished,  it  surpassed  the  most 
splendid  mosques  of  the  East.  It  was  six  hundred  feet  in 
length,  and  two  hundred  and  fifty  in  breadth.  Within  were 
twenty-eight  aisles,  crossed  by  nineteen,  supported  by  a  thou 
sand  and  ninety-three  columns  of  marble.  There  were  nine 
teen  portals,  covered  with  plates  of  bronze,  of  rare  work 
manship.  The  principal  portal  was  covered  with  plates  of 
gold.  On  the  summit  of  the  grand  cupola  were  three  gilt 
balls,  surmounted  by  a  golden  pomegranate.  At  night  the 
mosque  was  illuminated  with  four  thousand  seven  hundred 
lamps,  and  great  sums  were  expended  in  amber  and  aloes, 
which  were  burnt  as  perfumes.  The  mosque  remains  to  this 
day,  shorn  of  its  ancient  splendor,  yet  still  one  of  the 
grandest  Moslem  monuments  in  Spain. 

Finding  himself  advancing  in  years,  Abderahman  assem 
bled  in  his  capital  of  Cordova  the  principal  governors  and 
commanders  of  his  kingdom,  and  in  presence  of  them  all, 
with  great  solemnity,  nominated  his  son  Hixem  as  the  sue- 


272  ABDERAHMAN. 

cessor  to  the  throne.  All  present  made  an  oath  of  fealty 
to  Abderahman  during  his  life,  and  to  Hixem  after  his  death. 
The  prince  was  younger  than  his  brothers,  Suleiman  and 
Abdallah ;  but  he  was  the  son  of  Howara,  the  tenderly  be 
loved  sultana  of  Abderahman,  and  her  influence,  it  is  said, 
gained  him  this  preference. 

Within  a  few  months  afterward  Abderahman  fell  griev 
ously  sick  at  Merida.  Finding  his  end  approaching,  he  sum 
moned  Hixem  to  his  bedside.  "  My  son,"  said  he,  "  the 
angel  of  death  is  hovering  over  me ;  treasure  up,  therefore, 
in  thy  heart  this  dying  counsel,  which  I  give  through  the 
great  love  I  bear  thee.  Remember  that  all  empire  is  from 
God,  who  gives  and  takes  it  away,  according  to  his  pleasure. 
Since  God,  through  his  divine  goodness,  has  given  us  regal 
power  and  authority,  let  us  do  his  holy  will,  which  is  noth 
ing  else  than  to  do  good  to  all  men,  and  especially  to  those 
committed  to  our  protection.  Render  equal  justice,  my  son, 
to  the  rich  and  the  poor,  and  never  suffer  injustice  to  be 
done  within  thy  dominion,  for  it  is  the  road  to  perdition.  Be 
merciful  and  benignant  to  those  dependent  upon  thee.  Con 
fide  the  government  of  thy  cities  and  provinces  to  men  of 
worth  and  experience ;  punish  without  compassion  those  min 
isters  who  oppress  thy  people  with  .exorbitant  exactions.  Pay 
thy  troops  punctually ;  teach  them  to  feel  a  certainty  in  thy 
promises ;  command  them  with  gentleness  but  firmness,  and 
make  them  in  truth  the  defenders  of  the  state,  not  its  de 
stroyers.  Cultivate  unceasingly  the  affections  of  thy  people ; 
for  in  their  good-will  consists  the  security  of  the  state,  in 
their  distrust  its  peril,  in  their  hatred  its  certain  ruin.  Pro 
tect  the  husbandmen,  who  cultivate  the  earth  and  yield  us 
necessary  sustenance ;  never  permit  their  fields  and  groves 


ABDERAHMAN.  273 

and  gardens  to  be  disturbed.  In  a  word,  act  in  such  wise 
that  thy  people  may  bless  thee,  and  may  enjoy,  under  the 
shadow  of  thy  wing,  a  secure  and  tranquil  life.  In  this 
consists  good  government;  if  thou  dost  practise  it,  thou  wilt 
be  happy  among  thy  people,  and  renowned  throughout  the 
world." 

Having  given  this  excellent  counsel,  the  good  King  Abd- 
erahman  blessed  his  son  Hixem,  and  shortly  after  died,  being 
but  in  the  sixtieth  year  of  age.  He  was  interred  with  great 
pomp ;  but  the  highest  honors  that  distinguished  his  funeral 
were  the  tears  of  real  sorrow  shed  upon  his  grave.  He  left 
behind  him  a  name  for  valor,  justice,  and  magnanimity,  and 
forever  famous  as  being  the  founder  of  the  glorious  line  of 
the  Ommiades  in  Spain. 

VOL.  I.  13 


CHRONICLE    OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ, 

COUNT  OF    CASTILE. 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ, 

COUKT  OF   CASTILE. 

INTRODUCTION. 

Ax  the  time  of  the  general  wreck  of  Spain  by  the  sudden 
tempest  of  Arab  invasion,  many  of  the  inhabitants  took  refuge 
in  the  mountains  of  the  Asturias,  burying  themselves  .in  narrow 
valleys  difficult  of  access,  wherever  a  constant  stream  of  water 
afforded  a  green  bosom  of  pasture-land  and  scanty  fields  for 
cultivation.  For  mutual  protection  they  gathered  together  in 
small  villages  called  castros,  or  castrellos,  with  watch-towers 
and  fortresses  on  impending  cliffs,  in  which  they  might  shelter 
and  defend  themselves  in  case  of  sudden  inroad.  Thus  arose 
the  kingdom  of  the  Asturias,  subject  to  Pelayo  and  the  kings 
his  successors,  who  gradually  extended  their  dominions,  built 
towns  and  cities,  and  after  a  time  fixed  their  seat  of  govern 
ment  at  the  city  of  Leon. 

An  important  part  of  the  region  over  which  they  bore  sway 
was  ancient  Cantabria,  extending  from  the  Bay  of  Biscay  to 
the  Duero,  and  called  Castile  from  the  number  of  castles  with 
which  it  was  studded.  They  divided  it  into  seignories,  over 
which  they  placed  civil  and  military  governors  called  counts,  — 
a  title  said  to  be  derived  from  the  Latin  comes,  a  companion, 
the  person  enjoying  it  being  admitted  to  the  familiar  compan 
ionship  of  the  king,  entering  into  his  counsels  in  time  of  peace, 


278          CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ. 

and  accompanying  him  to  the  field  in  time  of  war  The  title 
of  count  was  therefore  more  dignified  than  that  of  duke  in 
the  time  of  the  Gothic  kings. 

The  power  of  these  counts  increased  to  such  a  degree  that 
four  of  them  formed  a  league  to  declare  themselves  indepen 
dent  of  the  crown  of  Leon.  Ordono  II.,  who  was  then  king, 
received  notice  of  it,  and  got  them  into  his  power  by  force,  as 
some  assert,  but  as  others  maintain,  by  perfidious  artifice.  At 
any  rate,  they  were  brought  to  court,  convicted  of  treason,  and 
publicly  beheaded.  The  Castilians  flew  to  arms  to  revenge 
their  deaths.  Ordono  took  the  field  with  a  powerful  army,  but 
his  own  death  defeated  all  his  plans. 

The  Castilians  now  threw  off  allegiance  to  the  kingdom  of 
Leon,  and  elected  two  judges  to  rule  over  them, — one  in  a  civil, 
the  other  in  a  military  capacity.  The  first  who  filled  those 
stations  were  Nufio  Rasura  and  Lain  Calvo,  two  powerful 
nobles,  the  former  descended  from  Diego  Porcello,  a  count  of 
Lara ;  the  latter,  ancestor  of  the  renowned  Cid  Campeador. 

Nuno  Rasura,  the  civil  and  political  judge,  was  succeeded  by 
his  son  Gonzalez  Nufio,  who  inarried  Dona  Ximena,  a  daugh 
ter  of  one  of  the  counts  of  Castile  put  to  death  by  Ordono  II. 
From  this  marriage  came  Fernan  Gonzalez,  the  subject  of  the 
following  chronicle. 


CHRONICLE  OP  FERNAN  GONZALEZ.         279 


CHAPTER  I. 

INSTALLATION  OP  PERN  AN  GONZALEZ  AS  COUNT  OP  CASTILE. 
HIS  FIRST  CAMPAIGN  AGAINST  THE  MOORS.  —  VICTORY  OP 
SAN  QUIRCE.  —  HOW  THE  COUNT  DISPOSED  OF  THE  SPOILS. 

THE  renowned  Fernan  Gonzalez,  the  most  complete  hero  of 
his  time,  was  born  about  the  year  887.  Historians  trace  his  de 
scent  to  Nuno  Belchidez,  nephew  of  the  Emperor  Charle 
magne,  and  Dona  Sula  Bella,  granddaughter  to  the  Prince 
Don  Sancho,  rightful  sovereign  of  Spain,  but  superseded  by 
Roderick,  the  last  of  the  Gothic  kings. 

Fernan  Gonzalez  was  hardily  educated  among  the  mountains 
in  a  strong  place  called  Maron,  in  the  house  of  Martin  Gonza 
lez,  a  gallant  and  veteran  cavalier.  From  his  earliest  years  he 
was  inured  to  all  kinds  of  toils  and  perils,  — » taught  to  hunt,  to 
hawk,  to  ride  the  great  horse,  to  manage  sword,  lance,  and 
buckler ;  in  a  word,  he  was  accomplished  in  all  the  noble  exer 
cises  befitting  a  cavalier. 

His  father  Gonzalvo  Nunez  died  in  903,  and  his  elder  brother 
Rodrigo  in  904,  without  issue ;  and  such  was  the  admiration 
already  entertained  of  Fernan  Gonzalez  by  the  hardy  moun 
taineers  and  old  Castilian  warriors,  that  though  scarce  seven 
teen  years  of  age  he  was  unanimously  elected  to  rule  over 
them.  His  title  is  said  to  have  been  Count,  Duke,  and  Consul, 
under  the  seignory  of  Alonzo  the  Great,  King  of  Leon.  A 
cortes,  or  assemblage  of  the  nobility  and  chivalry  of  Castile 
and  of  the  mountains,  met  together  at  the  recently  built  city 


280          CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ. 

of  Burgos  to  do  honor  to  his  installation.     Sebastian,  the  re 
nowned  Bishop  of  Oca,  officiated. 

In  those  stern  days  of  Spain,  the  situation  of  a  sovereign 
was  not  that  of  silken  ease  and  idle  ceremonial.  When  he  put 
the  rich  crown  upon  his  head,  he  encircled  it  likewise  with 
shining  steel.  With  the  sceptre  were  united  the  lance  and 
shield,  emblems  of  perpetual  war  against  the  enemies  of  the 
faith.  The  cortes  took  this  occasion  to  pass  the  following  laws 
for  the  government  of  the  realm  :  — 

1.  Above  all  things  the  people  should  observe  the  law  of 
God,  the  canons  and  statutes  of  the  holy  fathers,  the  liberty 
and  privileges  of  the  Church,  and  the  respect  due  to  its  min 
isters. 

2.  No  person  should  prosecute  another  out  of  Castile  at  any 
tribunal  of  justice  or  of  arms,  under  pain  of  being  considered 
a  stranger. 

3.  All   Jews   and  Moors  who  refused  to  acknowledge  the 
Christian  faith  should  depart  from  Castile  within  two  months. 

4.  That  the  cavaliers  of  noble  blood  should  treat  their  ten 
ants  and  vassals  with  love  and  gentleness. 

5.  That  he  who  slew  another,  or  committed  any  other  grave 
offence,  should  make  equal  measure  of  atonement. 

6.  That  no  one  should  take  the  property  of  another;  but, 
if  oppressed  by  poverty,  should  come  to  the  count,  who  ought 
to  be  as  a  father  to  all. 

7.  That  all  should  unite  and  be  of  one  heart  and  aid  one 
another  in  defence  of  their  faith  and  of  their  country. 

Such  were  the  ordinances  of  the  ancient  Cortes  of  Burgos  ; 
brief  and  simple,  and  easy  to  be  understood  ;  not,  as  at  the 
present  day,  multifarious  and  perplexed,  to  the  confusion  and 
ruin  of  clients  a*nd  the  enrichment  of  lawyers. 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ.  281 

Scarce  was  the  installation  ended,  and  while  Burgos  was  yet 
abandoned  to  festivity,  the  young  count,  with  the  impatient 
ardor  of  youth,  caused  the  trumpets  to  sound  through  the 
streets  a  call  to  arms.  A  captain  of  the  Moorish  king  of  To 
ledo  was  ravaging  the  territory  of  Castile  at  the  head  of  seven 
thousand  troops,  and  against  him  the  youthful  count  deter 
mined  to  make  his  first  campaign.  In  the  spur  of  the  moment 
but  one  hundred  horsemen  and  fifteen  hundred  foot-soldiers 
could  be  collected ;  but  with  this  slender  force  the  count  pre 
pared  to  take  the  field.  Ruy  Velazquez,  a  valiant  cavalier,  re 
monstrated  against  such  rashness,  but  in  vain.  "  I  owe,"  said 
the  count,  "  a  death  to  the  grave  ;  the  debt  can  never  be  paid 
so  honorably  as  in  the  service  of  God  and  my  country.  Let 
every  one,  therefore,  address  himself  heart  and  hand  to  this 
enterprise ;  for  if  I  come  face  to  face  with  this  Moor  I  will 
most  assuredly  give  him  battle."  So  saying,  he  knelt  before 
Bishop  Sebastian  of  Salamanca  and  craved  his  benediction. 
The  reverend  prelate  invoked  on  his  head  the  blessing  and 
protection  of  Heaven,  for  his  heart  yearned  toward  him ;  but 
when  he  saw  the  youthful  warrior  about  to  depart,  he  kindled 
as  it  were  with  a  holy  martial  fire,  and  ordering  his  steed  to  be 
saddled  he  sallied  forth  with  him  to  the  wars. 

The  little  army  soon  came  upon  traces  of  the  enemy  in  fields 
laid  waste,  and  the  smoking  ruins  of  villages  and  hamlets. 
The  count  sent  out  scouts  to  clamber  every  height  and  explore 
every  defile.  From  the  summit  of  a  hill  they  beheld  the 
Moors  encamped  in  a  valley  which  was  covered  with  the  flocks 
and  herds  swept  from  the  neighboring  country.  The  camp  of 
the  marauders  was  formidable  as  to  numbers,  with  various 
standards  floating  in  the  breeze  ;  for  in  this  foray  were  engaged 

the  Moorish  chiefs  of  Saragossa,  Denia,  and  Seville,  together 
13* 


282          CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ. 

with  many  valiant  Moslems  who  had  crossed  the  straits  from 
Africa  to  share  in  what  they  considered  a  holy  enterprise.  The 
scouts  observed,  however,  that  the  most  negligent  security 
reigned  throughout  the  camp ;  some  reposing,  others  feasting 
and  revelling,  all  evidently  considering  themselves  safe  from 
any  attack. 

Upon  hearing  this  the  count  led  his  men  secretly  and  silently 
to  the  assault,  and  came  upon  the  Moors  in  the  midst  of  their 
revelry,  before  they  had  time  to  buckle  on  their  armor.  The 
infidels,  however,  made  a  brave  though  confused  resistance ; 
the  camp  was  strewn  with  their  dead ;  many  were  taken 
prisoners,  and  the  rest  began  to  falter.  The  count  killed  their 
captain-general  with  his  own  hand,  in  single  fight,  as  he  was 
bravely  rallying  his  troops.  Upon  seeing  him  fall,  the  Moors 
threw  down  their  weapons  and  fled. 

Immense  booty  was  found  in  the  Moorish  camp,  —  partly  the 
rich  arms  and  equipments  of  the  infidel  warriors,  partly  the 
plunder  of  the  country.  An  ordinary  victor  would  have  merely 
shared  the  spoils  with  his  soldiery,  but  the  count  was  as  pious 
as  he  was  brave,  and  moreover,  had  by  his  side  the  venerable 
Bishop  of  Salamanca  as  counsellor.  Contenting  himself,  there 
fore,  with  distributing  one  third  among  his  soldiery,  he  shared 
the  rest  with  God,  devoting  a  large  part  to  the  Church,  and  to 
the  relief  of  souls  in  purgatory, —  a  pious  custom,  which  he  ever 
after  observed.  He  moreover  founded  a  church  on  the  field 
of  battle,  dedicated  to  St.  Quirce,  on  whose  festival  (the  16th 
July)  this  victory  was  obtained.  To  this  church  was  subse 
quently  added  a  monastery  where  a  worthy  fraternity  of  monks 
were  maintained  in  the  odor  of  sanctity,  to  perpetuate  the  mem 
ory  of  this  victory.  All  this  was  doubtless  owing  to  the 
providential  presence  of  the  good  bishop  on  this  occasion  ;  and 


CHRONICLE  OF  FEBNAN  GONZALEZ.  283 

this  is  one  instance  of  the  great  benefit  derived  from  those 
priests  and  monks  and  other  purveyors  of  the  Church,  who 
hovered  about  the  Christian  camps  throughout  all  these  wars 
with  the  infidels. 


284          CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ. 


CHAPTER  II. 

OF  THE  SALLY  FROM  BURGOS,  AND  SURPRISE  OF  THE  CASTLE  OF 
LARA.  —  CAPITULATION  OF  THE  TOWN.  —  VISIT  TO  ALFONSO 
THE  GREAT,  KING  OF  LEON. 

COUNT  FERNAN  GONZALEZ  did  not  remain  idle  after  the 
victory  of  San  Quirce.  There  was  at  this  time  an  old  castle, 
strong  but  much  battered  in  the  wars,  which  protected  a  small 
town,  the  remains  of  the  once  flourishing  city  of  Lara.  It  was 
the  ancient  domain  of  his  family,  but  was  at  present  in  posses 
sion  of  the  Moors.  In  sooth  it  had  repeatedly  been  taken  and 
retaken  ;  for  in  those  iron  days  no  castle  nor  fortress  remained 
long  under  the  same  masters.  One  year  it  was  in  the  hands 
of  the  Christians ;  the  next,  of  the  Moors.  Some  of  these 
castles,  with  their  dependent  towns,  were  sacked,  burnt,  and  de 
molished  ;  others  remained  silent  and  deserted,  their  original 
owners  fearing  to  reside  in  them  ;  and  their  ruined  towers  were 
only  tenanted  by  bats  and  owls  and  screaming  birds  of  prey. 
Lara  had  lain  for  a  time  in  ruins  after  being  captured  by  the 
Moors,  but  had  been  rebuilt  by  them,  with  diminished  gran 
deur,  and  they  held  a  strong  garrison  in  the  castle,  whence 
they  sallied  forth  occasionally  to  ravage  the  lands  of  the  Chris 
tians.  The  Moorish  chieftain  of  Lara,  as  has  been  observed, 
was  among  the  associated  marauders  who  had  been  routed  in 
the  battle  of  San  Quirce ;  and  the  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez 
thought  this  a  favorable  time  to  strike  for  the  recovery  of  his 


CHRONICLE  OP  FERNAN  GONZALEZ.          285 

family  domain,  now  that  the  infidel  possessor  was  weakened  by 
defeat  and  could  receive  no  succor. 

Appointing  Rodrigo  Velasquez  and  the  Count  Don  Vela  Al 
varez  to  act  as  governors  of  Castile  during  his  absence,  the 
count  sallied  forth  from  Burgos  with  a  brilliant  train  of  chivalry. 
Among  the  distinguished  cavaliers  who  attended  him  were 
Martin  Gonzalez,  Don  Gustios  Gonzalez,  Don  Velasco,  and 
Don  Lope  de  Biscaya,  which  last  brought  a  goodly  band  of 
stout  Biscayans.  The  alfarez,  or  standard-bearer,  was  Orbita 
Velasquez,  who  had  distinguished  himself  in  the  battle  of  San 
Quirce.  He  bore  as  a  standard  a  great  cross  of  silver,  which 
shone  gloriously  in  front  of  the  host,  and  is  preserved,  even  to 
the  present  day,  in  the  church  of  San  Pedro  de  Arlanza. 
One  hundred  and  fifty  noble  cavaliers,  well  armed  and 
mounted,  with  many  esquires  and  pages  of  the  lance,  and 
three  thousand  foot-soldiers,  all  picked  men,  formed  this  small 
but  stout-hearted  army. 

The  count  led  his  troops  with  such  caution  that  they  arrived 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Lara  without  being  discovered.  It  was 
the  vigil  of  St.  John ;  the  country  was  wrapped  in  evening 
shadows,  and  the  count  was  enabled  to  approach  near  to  the 
place  to  make  his  observations.  He  perceived  that  his  force 
was  too  inconsiderable  to  invest  the  town  and  fortress.  Besides, 
about  two  leagues  distant  was  the  gaunt  and  rock-built  castle 
of  Carazo,  a  presidio  or  stronghold  of  the  Moors,  whence 
he  might  be  attacked  in  the  rear,  should  he  linger  before  the 
fortress.  It  was  evident,  therefore,  that  whatever  was  to  be 
effected  must  be  done  promptly  and  by  sudden  surprise. 
Revolving  these  things  in  his  mind  he  put  his  troops  in  am 
bush  in  a  deep  ravine  where  they  took  their  rest,  while  he 
kept  watch  upon  the  castle;  maturing  his  plans  against  the 


286          CHRONICLE  OF  FEBNAN  GONZALEZ. 

morrow.     In  this  way  he  passed  his  midsummer's  night,  the 
vigil  of  the  blessed  St.  John. 

The  festival  of  St.  John  is  observed  as  well  by  Mahometans 
as  Christians.  During  the  night  bonfires  blazed  on  the  hill 
tops  and  the  sound  of  music  and  festivity  was  heard  from 
within  the  town.  When  the  rising  sun  shone  along  the  val 
ley  of  the  Arlanza  the  Moors  in  the  castle,  unsuspicious  of 
any  lurking  danger,  threw  open  the  gates  and  issued  forth 
to  recreate  themselves  in  the  green  fields  and  along  the  banks 
of  the  river.  When  they  had  proceeded  to  a  considerable 
distance,  and  a  hill  shut  them  from  view,  the  count  with  his 
eager  followers  issued  silently  but  swiftly  from  their  hiding- 
place  and  made  directly  for  the  castle.  On  the  way  they 
met  with  another  band  of  Moors  who  had  likewise  come 
forth  for  amusement.  The  count  struck  the  leader  to  the 
earth  with  one  blow  of  his  lance  ;  the  rest  were  either  slain 
or  taken  prisoners ;  so  that  not  one  escaped  to  give  the 
alarm. 

Those  of  the  garrison  who  had  remained  in  the  castler 
seeing  a  Christian  force  rushing  up  to  the  very  walls,  hast 
ened  to  close  the  gates,  but  it  was  too  late.  The  count  and 
his  cavaliers  burst  them  open  and  put  every  one  to  the  sword 
who  made  opposition.  Leaving  Don  Belasco  and  a  number 
of  soldiers  to  guard  the  castle,  the  count  hastened  with  the 
rest  in  pursuit  of  the  Moors  who  were  solemnizing  the  day 
on  the  banks  of  the  Arlanza.  Some  were  reclining  on  the 
grass,  othere  were  amusing  themselves  with  music  and  the 
popular  dance  of  the  Zambra,  while  their  arms  lay  scattered 
among  the  herbage. 

At  sight  of  the  Christians,  they  snatched  up  their  weapons 
and  made  a  desperate  though  vain  resistance.  Within  two 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ.          287 

hours  almost  all  were  either  slain  or  captured ;  a  few  escaped 
to  the  neighboring  mountains  of  Carazo.  The  town,  seeing 
the  castle  in  the  hands  of  the  Christians  and  the  garrison 
routed  and  destroyed,  readily  capitulated  ;  and  the  inhabitants 
were  permitted  to  retain  unmolested  possession  of  their 
houses,  on  agreeing  to  pay  to  the  count  the  same  tribute 
which  had  been  exacted  from  them  by  the  Moorish  king. 
Don  Belasco  was  left  alcayde  of  the  fortress,  and  the  count 
returned,  covered  with  glory,  to  his  capital  of  Burgos. 

The  brilliant  victories  and  hardy  deeds  of  arms  with  which 
the  youthful  Count  of  Castile  had  commenced  his  reign  ex 
cited  the  admiration  of  Alonzo  the  Great,  King  of  Leon, 
and  he  sent  missives  urging  him  to  appear  at  his  royal  court. 
The  count  accordingly  set  forth  with  a  cavalcade  of  his  most 
approved  knights  and  many  of  his  relatives,  sumptuously 
armed  and  arrayed  and  mounted  on  steeds  richly  caparisoned. 
It  was  a  pageant  befitting  a  young  and  magnificent  chief, 
in  the  freshness  and  pleasance  of  his  years. 

The  king  came  out  of  the  city  to  meet  him,  attended  by 
all  the  pomp  and  grandeur  of  his  court.  The  count  alighted, 
and  approached  to  kiss  the  king's  hand  ;  but  Alfonso  alighted 
also,  and  embraced  him  with  great  affection,  and  the  friend 
ship  of  these  illustrious  princes  continued  without  interruption 
throughout  the  life  of  the  king. 


288          CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ. 


CHAPTER  III. 

EXPEDITION  AGAINST  THE  FORTRESS  OF  MUGNON. DES 
PERATE  DEFENCE  OF  THE  MOORS.  —  ENTERPRISE  AGAINST 
CASTRO  XERIZ. 

MANY  are  the  doughty  achievements  recorded  in  ancient 
chronicles  of  this  most  valorous  cavalier ;  among  others  is 
his  expedition,  with  a  chosen  band,  against  the  castle  of 
Mugnon,  a  place  of  great  importance,  which  stood  at  no  great 
distance  from  Burgos.  He  sallied  from  his  capital  in  an 
opposite  direction,  to  delude  the  Moorish  scouts ;  but  mak 
ing  a  sudden  turn,  came  upon  the  fortress  by  surprise,  broke 
down  the  gates,  and  forced  his  way  in  at  the  head  of  his 
troops,  having  nothing  but  a  dagger  in  his  hand,  his  lance 
and  sword  having  been  broken  in  the  assault.  The  Moors 
fought  desperately  from  court  to  tower,  from  tower  to  wall ; 
and  when  they  saw  all  resistance  vain,  many  threw  them 
selves  from  the  battlements  into  the  ditch  rather  than  be 
made  captives.  Leaving  a  strong  garrison  in  the  place,  the 
count  returned  to  Burgos. 

His  next  enterprise  was  against  Castro  Xeriz,  a  city  with 
a  strong  castle,  which  had  been  a  thorn  in  the  side  of  Castile  ; 
the  Moorish  garrison  often  sweeping  the  road  between  Burgos 
and  Leon,  carrying  off  travellers,  capturing  cattle,  and  plun 
dering  convoys  of  provisions  and  merchandise.  The  count 
advanced  against  this  place  in  open  day,  ravaging  the  country 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ.          289 

and  announcing  his  approach  by  clouds  of  smoke  from  the 
burning  habitations  of  the  Moors.  Abdallah,  the  alcayde 
of  the  fortress,  would  have  made  peace,  but  the  count  refused 
all  terms.  "  God,"  said  he,  "  has  appointed  me  to  rescue  his 
holy  inheritance  from  the  power  of  infidels ;  nothing  is  to 
be  negotiated  but  by  the  edge  of  the  sword." 

Abdallah  then  made  a  sally  with  a  chosen  band  of  his 
cavaliers.  They  at  first  careered  lightly  with  their  Arabian 
steeds  and  launched  their  Moorish  darts,  but  the  Christians 
closed  in  the  old  Gothic  style,  fighting  hand  to  hand.  Ab 
dallah  fell  by  the  sword  of  the  count,  and  his  followers  fled 
with  loosened  reins  back  to  the  city.  The  Christians  followed 
hard  upon  them,  strewing  the  ground  with  dead.  At  the 
gate  of  the  city  they  were  met  by  Almondir,  the  son  of  Ab 
dallah,  who  disputed  the  gateway  and  the  street  inch  by 
inch,  until  the  whole  place  ran  with  blood.  The  Moors, 
driven  from  the  streets,  took  refuge  in  the  castle,  where  Al 
mondir  inspirited  them  to  a  desperate  defence,  until  a  stone 
struck  him  as  he  stood  on  the  battlements,  and  he  fell  to 
the  earth  dead.  Having  no  leader  to  direct  them,  the  Moors 
surrendered.  When  the  town  was  cleared  of  the  dead  and 
order  restored,  the  count  divided  the  spoils,  —  allotting  the 
houses  among  his  followers,  and  peopling  the  place  with  Chris 
tians.  He  gave  the  command  of  it  to  Layn  Bermudez,  with 
the  title  of  count.  From  him  descended  an  illustrious  line 
of  cavaliers  termed  de  Castro,  whose  male  line  became  ex 
tinct  in  Castile,  but  continued  to  flourish  in  Portugal.  The 
place  is  said  to  have  been  called  Castro  Xeriz,  in  consequence 
of  the  blood  shed  in  this  conflict,  —  xeriz,  in  the  Arabic  lan 
guage,  signifying  bloody.* 

*  Sandoval,  p.  301. 


290          CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

HOW  THE  COUNT  OF  CASTILE  AND  THE  KING  OF  LEON  MAKE 
A  TRIUMPHANT  FORAY  INTO  THE  MOORISH  COUNTRY. — 
CAPTURE  OF  SALAMANCA.  —  OF  THE  CHALLENGE  BROUGHT 
BY  THE  HERALD,  AND  OF  THE  COUNT'S  DEFIANCE. 

COUNT  FERNAN  GONZALEZ  was  restless,  daring,  and  im 
petuous  ;  he  seldom  suffered  lance  to  rest  on  wall  or  steed 
in  stable,  and  no  Moorish  commander  could  sleep  in  quiet 
who  held  town  or  tower  in  his  neighborhood.  King  Alonzo 
the  Great  became  emulous  of  sharing  in  his  achievements, 
and  they  made  a  campaign  together  against  the  Moors.  The 
count  brought  a  splendid  array  of  Castilian  chivalry  into 
the  field,  together  with  a  host  of  Montaneses,  hardy  and  vig 
orous  troops  from  the  Asturias,  excellent  for  marauding  war 
fare.  The  King  of  Leon  brought  his  veteran  bands,  seasoned 
to  battle.  With  their  united  forces  they  ravaged  the  Moorish 
country,  marking  their  way  with  havoc  and  devastation ;  ar 
rived  before  Salamanca,  they  took  that  city  by  storm  after 
a  brave  defence,  and  gave  it  up  to  be  sacked  by  the  soldiery. 
After  which  such  of  the  Moors  as  chose  to  remain  in  it  were 
suffered  to  retain  their  possessions  as  vassals  to  the  king. 
Having  accomplished  this  triumphant  foray,  they  returned, 
each  one  to  his  capital. 

The  Count  of  Castile  did  not  repose  long  in  his  palace. 
One  day  a  Moorish  herald,  magnificently  dressed,  rode  into 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ.          291 

the  city  of  Burgos,  bringing  Fernan  Gonzalez  a  cartel  of 
defiance.  It  was  from  a  vaunting  Moor  named  Acefali,  who 
had  entered  the  territories  of  Castile  with  a  powerful  force 
of  horse  and  foot,  giving  out  that  he  had  come  to  measure 
strength  and  prowess  with  the  count  in  battle.  Don  Fernan 
Gonzalez  replied  to  the  defiance  with  weapon  in  hand  at 
the  head  of  his  warriors.  A  pitched  battle  ensued,  which 
lasted  from  early  morn  until  evening  twilight.  In  the  course 
of  the  fight  the  count  was  in  imminent  peril,  his  horse  being 
killed  under  him  and  himself  surrounded,  but  he  was  rescued 
by  his  cavaliers.  After  great  bloodshed,  the  Moors  were  routed 
and  pursued  beyond  the  borders.  The  spoil  gained  in  this 
battle  was  devoutly  expended  in  repairing  the  churches  of 
Castile  and  the  Montaneses. 


292          CHRONICLE  OF  FEKNAN  GONZALEZ. 


CHAPTER  V. 

A     NIGHT     ASSAULT     UPON     THE     CASTLE     OF     CARAZO.  —  THE 
MOORISH    MAIDEN    WHO    BETRAYED    THE    GARRISON. 

IN  those  warlike  times  of  Spain  every  one  lived  with  sword 
in  hand ;  there  was  scarcely  a  commanding  cliff  or  hill-top  but 
had  its  castle.  Moors  and  Christians  regarded  each  other  from 
rival  towers  and  battlements  perched  on  opposite  heights,  and 
were  incessantly  contending  for  the  dominion  of  the  valleys. 

We  have  seen  that  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez  had  regained 
possession  of  the  ancient  town  and  fortress  of  Lara,  the  do 
main  of  his  ancestors  ;  but  it  will  be  recollected  that  within 
two  leagues'  distance  stood  the  Moorish  presidio  of  Carazo.  It 
was  perched  like  an  eagle's  nest  on  the  summit  of  a  mountain, 
and  the  cragged  steepness  of  its  position,  and  its  high  and  thick 
walls  seem  to  render  it  proof  against  all  assault.  The  Moors 
who  garrisoned  it  were  fierce  marauders,  who  used  to  sweep 
down  like  birds  of  prey  from  their  lofty  nest,  pounce  upon  the 
flocks  and  dwellings  of  the  Christians,  make  hasty  ravage,  and 
bear  away  their  spoils  to  the  mountain-top.  There  was  no  liv 
ing  with  safety  or  tranquillity  within  the  scope  of  their  maraud 
ings. 

Intelligence  of  their  misdeeds  was  brought  to  the  count  at 
Burgos.  He  determined  to  have  that  castle  of  Carazo,  whatever 
might  be  the  cost :  for  this  purpose  he  called  a  council  of  his 
chosen  cavaliers.  He  did  not  conceal  the  peril  of  the  enterprise, 


CHRONICLE    OF    FERNAN    GONZALEZ.  293 

from  the  crag-built  situation  of  the  castle,  its  great  strength, 
and  the  vigilance  and  valor  of  its  garrison.  Still  the  Castilian 
cavaliers  offered  themselves  to  carry  the  fortress  or  die. 

The  count  sallied  secretly  from  Burgos  with  a  select  force, 
and  repaired  in  the  night-time  to  Lara,  that  the  Moors  might 
have  no  intimation  nor  suspicion  of  his  design.  In  the  midst 
of  the  next  night,  the  castle  gate  was  quietly  opened  and  they 
issued  forth  as  silently  as  possible,  pursuing  their  course  in  the 
deep  shadows  of  the  valley  until  they  came  to  the  foot  of  the 
mountain  of  Carazo.  Here  they  remained  in  ambush,  and  sent 
forth  scouts.  As  the  latter  prowled  about  the  day  began  to 
dawn,  and  they  heard  a  female  voice  singing  above  them  on 
the  side  of  the  mountain.  It  was  a  Moorish  damsel  coming 
down,  with  a  vessel  upon  her  head.  She  descended  to  a  foun 
tain  which  gushed  forth  beneath  a  grove  of  willows,  and  as  she 
sang  she  began  to  fill  her  vessel  with  water.  The  spies  issued 
from  their  concealment,  seized  her,  and  carried  her  to  Count 
Fernan  Gonzalez. 

Overcome  by  terror  or  touched  by  conviction,  the  Moorish 
damsel  threw  herself  on  her  knees  before  the  count,  declared 
her  wish  to  turn  Christian,  and  offered,  in  proof  of  her  sincerity, 
to  put  him  in  a  way  of  gaining  possession  of  the  castle.  Be 
ing  encouraged  to  proceed,  she  told  him  that  there  was  to  be  a 
marriage  feast  that  day  in  the  castle,  and  of  course  a  great 
deal  of  revelry,  which  would  put  the  garrison  off  its  guard. 
She  pointed  out  a  situation  where  he  might  lie  in  amhush  with 
his  troops  in  sight  of  the  tower,  and  promised  when  a  favorable 
moment  presented  for  an  attack  to  give  a  signal  with  a  light. 

The  count  regarded  her  for  a  time  with  a  fixed  and  earnest 
gaze,  but  saw  no  faltering  nor  change  of  countenance.  The 
case  required  bold  measures,  combined  with  stratagem ;  so  he 


294          CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ. 

confided  in  her,  and  permitted  her  to  return  to  the  castle.  All 
day  he  lay  in  ambush  with  his  troops,  each  man  his  hand  upon 
his  weapon  to  guard  against  surprise.  The  distant  sound  of 
revelry  from  the  castle,  with  now  and  then  the  clash  of  cymbals, 
the  bray  of  trumpets,  and  a  strain  of  festive  music,  showed  the 
gayety  that  reigned  within.  Night  came  on  ;  hour  after  hour 
passed  away  ;  lights  gleamed  from  walls  and  windows,  but  none 
resembling  the  appointed  signal.  It  was  almost  midnight,  and 
the  count  began  to  fear  the  Moorish  damsel  had  deceived  him, 
when  to  his  great  joy  he  saw  the  signal-light  gleaming  from 
one  of  the  towers. 

He  now  sallied  forth  with  his  men,  and  all,  on  foot,  clambered 
up  the  steep  and  rugged  height.  They  had  almost  attained  the 
foot  of  the  towers  when  they  were  descried  by  a  sentinel  who 
cried  with  a  loud  voice,  "  The  foe  !  the  foe  !  to  arms  !  to  arms  ! " 
The  count,  followed  by  his  hardy  cavaliers,  rushed  forward  to 
the  gate,  crying,  "  God  and  Saint  Millan !  "  The  whole  castle 
was  instantly  in  an  uproar.  The  Moors  were  bewildered  by 
the  sudden  surprise  and  the  confusion  of  a  night  assault.  They 
fought  bravely,  but  irregularly.  The  Christians  had  but  one 
plan  and  one  object.  After  a  hard  struggle  and  great  blood 
shed,  they  forced  the  gate  and  made  themselves  masters  of  the 
castle. 

The  count  remained  several  days,  fortifying  the  place  and 
garrisoning  it,  that  it  might  not  fall  again  into  the  possession  of 
the  Moors.  He  bestowed  magnificent  rewards  on  the  Moorish 
damsel  who  had  thus  betrayed  her  countrymen  ;  she  embraced 
the  Christian  faith,  to  which  she  had  just  given  such  a  signal 
proof  of  devotion,  though  it  is  not  said  whether  the  count  had 
sufficient  confidence  in  her  conversion  and  her  newly  moulted 
piety  to  permit  her  to  remain  in  the  fortress  she  had  betrayed. 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ.         295 

Haiving  completed  his  arrangements,  the  count  departed  on 
his  return,  and  encountered  on  the  road  his  mother  Dona  Nuna 
Fernandez,  who,  exulting  in  his  success,  had  set  out  to  visit  him 
at  Carazo.  The  mother  and  son  had  a  joyful  meeting,  and 
gave  the  name  of  Contreras  to  the  place  of  their  encounter. 


296  CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ. 


CHAPTER  VI, 

DEATH    OF    ALFONSO,    KING     OF     LEON. THE     MOORS     DETER 
MINED     TO     STRIKE     A   FRESH     BLOW   AT     THE     COUNT,    WHO 

SUMMONS    ALL    CASTILE    TO    HIS    STANDARD. OF    HIS    HUNT 

IN    THE    FOREST    WHILE    WAITING   FOR    THE    ENEMY,   AND    OF 
THE    HERMIT    THAT    HE    MET    WITH. 

ALFONSO  THE  GREAT  was  now  growing  old  and  infirm,  and 
his  queen  and  sons,  taking  advantage  of  his  age  and  feebleness, 
endeavored  by  harsh  treatment  to  compel  him  to  relinquish 
the  crown.  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez  interceded  between  them, 
but  in  vain  ;  and  Alfonso  was  at  length  obliged  to  surrender 
his  crown  to  his  oldest  son,  Don  Garcia.  The  aged  monarch 
then  set  out  upon  a  pilgrimage  to  the  shrine  of  St.  lago  ;  but, 
falling  ill  of  his  mortal  malady,  sent  for  the  count  to  come  to 
him  to  his  death-bed  at  Zamora.  The  count  hastened  thither 
with  all  zeal  and  loyalty.  He  succeeded  in  effecting  a  reconcil 
iation  between  Alfonso  and  his  son  Don  Garcia  in  his  dying 
moments,  and  was  with  the  monarch  when  he  quietly  breathed 
his  last.  The  death  of  the  king  gave  fresh  courage  to  the 
Moors,  and  they  thought  this  a  favorable  moment  to  strike  a 
blow  at  the  rising  power  of  the  count.  Abderahman  was  at 
this  time  king  of  Cordova  and  Miramamolin,  or  sovereign  of 
the  Moors  m  Spain.  He  had  been  enraged  at  the  capture  of 
the  castle  of  Corazo,  and  the  other  victories  of  the  count ;  and 
now  that  the  latter  had  no  longer  the  King  of  Leon  to  back 
him,  it  was  thought  he  might,  by  a  vigorous  effort,  be  com- 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ.          297 

pletely  crushed.  Abderahman  accordingly  assembled  at  Cor 
dova  a  great  army  of  Moorish  warriors/ both  those  of  Spain 
and  Africa,  and  sent  them,  under  the  command  of  Almanzor,  to 
ravage  the  country  of  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez.  This  Almanzor 
was  the  most  valiant  Moorish  general  in  Spain,  and  one  on 
whom  Abderahman  depended  as  upon  his  right  hand. 

On  hearing  of  the  impending  danger,  Count  Fernan  Gonza 
lez  summoned  all  men  of  Castile  capable  of  bearing  arms  to 
repair  to  his  standard  at  Munon.  His  force  when  assembled 
was  but  small,  but  was  composed  of  the  bravest  chivalry  of 
Castile,  any  one  knight  of  which  he  esteemed  equal  to  ten 
Moors.  One  of  the  most  eminent  of  his  cavaliers  was  Don 
Gonzalo  Gustios,  of  Lara,  who  brought  seven  valiant  sons  to 
the  field,  —  the  same  afterwards  renowned  in  Spanish  story  as 
the  seven  princes  of  Lara.  With  Don  Gonzalo  came  also  his 
wife's  brother,  Ruy  or  Rodrigo  Velasquez,  a  cavalier  of  great 
prowess. 

In  the  mean  time  tidings  continued  to  arrive  of  the  great 
force  of  the  enemy,  which  was  said  to  cover  the  country  with 
its  tents.  The  name  of  the  Moorish  general,  Almanzor,  like 
wise  inspired  great  alarm.  One  of  the  count's  cavaliers,  there 
fore,  Gonzalo  Diaz,  counselled  him  not  to  venture  upon  an  open 
battle  against  such  fearful  odds ;  but  rather  to  make  a  tula,  or 
ravaging  inroad  into  the  country  of  the  Moors,  by  way  of  com 
pelling  them  to  make  a  truce.  The  count,  however,  rejected 
his  advice.  "  As  to  their  numbers,"  said  he,  "  one  lion  is  worth 
ten  sheep,  and  thirty  wolves  could  kill  thirty  thousand  lambs. 
As  to  that  Moor,  Almanzor,  be  assured  we  shall  vanquish  him, 
and  the  greater  his  renown  the  greater  will  be  the  honor  of 
the  victory." 

The  count  now  marched  his  little  army  to  Lara,  where  he 

VOL.  I.  14 


298         CHRONICLE  OP  FERNAN  GONZALEZ. 

paused  to  await  the  movements  of  the  enemy.  While  his 
troops  were  lying  there  he  mounted  his  horse  one  day  and 
went  forth  with  a  few  attendants  to  hunt  in  the  forests  which 
bordered  the  river  Arlanza.  In  the  course  of  the  chase  he 
roused  a  monstrous  boar  and  pursued  it  among  rocks  and 
brakes  until  he  became  separated  from  his  attendants.  Still 
following  the  track  of  the  boar,  he  came  to  the  foot  of  a  rocky 
precipice,  up  which  the  animal  mounted  by  a  rugged  and  nar 
row  path,  where  the  horse  could  not  follow.  The  count 
alighted,  tied  his  horse  to  an  oak,  and  clambered  up  the  path, 
assisting  himself  at  times  with  his  boar-spear.  The  path  led 
to  a  close  thicket  of  cedars,  surrounding  a  small  edifice  partly 
built  of  stone  and  partly  hewn  out  of  the  solid  rock.  The 
boar  had  taken  refuge  within,  and  had  taken  his  stand  behind 
what  appeared  to  be  a  mass  of  stone.  The  count  was  about  to 
launch  his  javelin  when  he  beheld  a  cross  of  stone  standing  on 
what  he  now  perceived  was  an  altar,  and  he  knew  that  he  was 
in  a  holy  place.  Being  as  pious  as  he  was  brave,  the  good 
count  now  knelt  before  the  altar  and  asked  pardon  of  God  for 
the  sin  he  had  been  on  the  point  of  committing ;  and  when  he 
had  finished  this  prayer,  he  added  another  for  victory  over 
the  foe. 

While  he  was  yet  praying,  there  entered  a  venerable  monk, 
Fray  Pelayo  by  name,  who,  seeing  him  to  be  a  Christian 
knight,  gave  him  his  benediction.  He  informed  the  count 
that  he  resided  in  this  hermitage  in  company  with  two  other 
monks,  —  Arsenio  and  Silvano.  The  count  marvelled  much 
how  they  could  live  there  in  a  country  overrun  by  enemies, 
and  which  had  for  a  long  time,  and  but  recently,  been  in  the 
power  of  the  infidels.  The  hermit  replied  that  in  the  service 
of  God  they  were  ready  to  endure  all  hardships.  It  is  true 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ.          299 

they  suffered  much  from  cold  and  hunger,  being  obliged  to  live 
chiefly  on  herbs  and  roots ;  but  by  secret  paths  and  tracks 
they  were  in  communication  with  other  hermitages  scattered 
throughout  the  country,  so  that  they  were  enabled  to  aid  and 
comfort  each  other.  They  could  also  secretly  sustain  in  the 
faith  the  Christians  who  were  held  in  subjection  by  the  Moors, 
and  afford  them  places  of  refuge  and  concealment  in  cases  of 
extremity. 

The  count  now  opened  his  heart  to  the  good  hermit,  reveal 
ing  his  name  and  rank,  and  the  perils  impending  over  him  from 
the  invasion  of  the  infidel.  As  the  day  was  far  spent,  Fray 
Pelayo  prevailed  upon  him  to  pass  the  night  in  the  hermitage, 
setting  before  him  barley  bread  and  such  simple  fare  as  his  cell 
afforded. 

Early  in  the  morning  the  count  went  forth  and  found  the 
hermit  seated  beneath  a  tree  on  a  rock,  whence  he  could  look 
far  and  wide  out  of  the  forest  and  over  the  surrounding  coun 
try.  The  hermit  then  accosted  him  as  one  whose  holy  and 
meditative  life  and  mortifications  of  the  flesh  had  given  to  look 
into  the  future  almost  with  the  eye  of  prophecy.  "  Of  a  truth, 
my  son,"  said  he,  "  there  are  many  trials  and  hardships  in  store 
for  thee  ;  but  be  of  good  cheer,  thou  wilt  conquer  these  Moors, 
and  wilt  increase  thy  power  and  possessions."  He  now  re 
vealed  to  the  count  certain  signs  and  portents  which  would 
take  place  during  battle.  "  When  thou  shalt  see  these,"  said  he, 
"  be  assured  that  Heaven  is  on  thy  side,  and  thy  victory  se 
cure."  The  count  listened  with  devout  attention.  "  If  these 
things  do  indeed  come  to  pass,"  said  he,  "  I  will  found  a  church 
and  convent  in  this  place,  to  be  dedicated  to  St.  Peter,  the 
patron  saint  of  this  hermitage ;  and  when  I  die  my  body  shall 
be  interred  here."  Receiving  then  the  benediction  of  the  holy 
friar,  he  departed. 


300          CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALES. 


CHAPTP:R  vn. 

THE  BATTLE  OF  THE  FORD  OF  CASCAJARES. 

WHEN  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez  returned  to  his  troops  he 
found  them  in  great  alarm  at  his  absence,  fearing  some  evil 
had  befallen  him  ;  but  he  cheered  them  with  an  account  of  his 
adventure  and  of  the  good  fortune  predicted  by  the  hermit. 

It  was  in  the  month  of  May,  on  the  day  of  the  Holy  Cross, 
that  the  Christian  and  Moslem  armies  came  in  sight  of  each 
other.  The  Moors  advanced  with  a  great  sound  of  trumpets, 
atabals,  and  cymbals,  and  their  mighty  host  extended  over  hill 
and  valley.  When  they  saw  how  small  was  the  force  of  the 
Christians  they  put  up  derisive  shouts,  and  rushed  forward  to 
surround  thenr. 

Don  Fernan  Gonzalez  remained  calm  and  unmoved  upon  a 
rising  ground,  for  the  hour  was  at  hand  when  the  sign  of  vic 
tory  promised  by  the  hermit  was  to  take  place.  Near  by  him 
was  a  youthful  cavalier,  Pedro  Gonzalez  by  name,  native  of  La 
Puente  de  Hitero,  of  fiery  courage  but  vainglorious  temper. 
He  was  cased  in  shining  armor,  and  mounted  on  a  beautiful 
horse  impatient  of  spirit  as  himself,  and  incessantly  foaming 
and  champing  on  the  bit  and  pawing  the  earth.  As  the  Moors 
drew  near,  while  there  was  yet  a  large  space  between  them  and 
the  Christians,  this  fiery  cavalier  could  no  longer  contain  him 
self,  but  giving  reins  to  his  steed  set  off  headlong  to  encounter 
the  foe  ;  when  suddenly  the'  earth  opened,  man  and  horse 
rushed  downward  into  an  abyss,  and  the  earth  closed  as  before. 


CHRONICLE    OF    FERNAN    GONZALEZ.  301 

A  cry  of  horror  ran  through  the  Christian  ranks,  and  a  panic 
was  like  to  seize  upon  them,  but  Don  Fernan  Gonzalez  rode 
in  front  of  them,  exclaiming,  "This  is  the  promised  sign  of  vic 
tory.  Let  us  see  how  Castilians  defend  their  lord,  for  my 
standard  shall  be  borne  into  the  thickest  of  the  fight.  So  say 
ing,  he  ordered  Orbita  Fernandez  to  advance  his  standard  ;  and 
when  his  troops  saw  the  silver  cross  glittering  on  high  and 
borne  toward  the  enemy,  they  shouted,  "  Castile  !  Castile  ! "  and 
rushed  forward  to  the  fight.  Immediately  around  the  standard 
fought  Don  Gonzalo  Gustios  and  his  seven  sons,  and  he  was,  say 
the  old  chroniclers,  like  a  lion  leading  his  whelps  into  the  fight. 
Wherever  they  fought  their  way,  they  might  be  traced  by  the 
bodies  of  bleeding  and  expiring  infidels.  Few  particulars  of 
this  battle  remain  on  record  ;  but  it  is  said  the  Moors  were  as  if 
struck  with  sudden  fear  and  weakness,  and  fled  in  confusion. 
Almanzor  himself  escaped  by  the  speed  of  his  horse,  attended 
by  a  handful  of  his  cavaliers. 

In  the  camp  of  the  Moors  was  found  vast  booty  in  gold  and 
silver,  and  other  precious  things,  with  sumptuous  armor  and 
weapons.  When  the  spoil  was  divided  and  the  troops  were  re 
freshed,  Don  Fernan  Gonzalez  went  with  his  cavaliers  in  pious 
procession  to  the  hermitage  of  San  Pedro*  Here  he  gave 
much  silver  and  gold  to  the  worthy  Fray  Pelayo,  to  be  ex 
pended  in  masses  for  the  souls  of  the  Christian  warriors  who 
had  fallen  in  battle,  and  in  prayers  for  further  victories  over 
the  infidels ;  after  which  he  returned  in  triumph  to  his  capital 
of  Burgos.* 

*  It  does  not  appear  that  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez  kept  his  promise  of  founding 
a  church  and  monastery  on  the  site  of  the  hermitage.  The  latter  edifice  re 
mained  to  after  ages.  "  It  stands,"  says  Sjandoval,  "  on  a  precipice  overhanging 
the  river  Arlanza,  insomuch  that  it  inspires  dread  to  look  below.  It  is  ex 
tremely  ancient;  large  enough  to  hold  a  hundred  persons.  Within  the  chapel 


302          CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ. 

is  an  opening  like  a  chasm,  leading  down  to  a  cavern  larger  than  the  church, 
formed  in  the  solid  rock,  with  a  small  window  which  overlooks  the  river.  It  was 
here  the  Christians  used  to  conceal  themselves." 

As  a  corroboration  of  the  adventure  of  the  Count  of  Castile,  Sandoval  assures 
us  that  in  his  day  the  oak  still  existed  to  which  Don  Fernan  Gonzalez  tied  his 
horse,  when  he  alighted  to  scramble  up  the  hill  in  pursuit  of  the  boar.  The 
worthy  Fray  Agapida,  however,  needed  no  corroboration  of  the  kind,  swallow 
ing  the  whole  story  with  the  ready  credence  of  a  pious  monk.  The  action  here 
recorded  was  known  by  the  name  of  the  battle  of  the  Ford  of  Cascajares. 

Sandoval  gives  a  different  account  of  the  fate  of  the  hermits.  He  says  that 
Almanzor,  in  a  rage  at  their  prognostics,  overthrew  their  chapel,  and  without 
alighting  from  his  horse  ordered  the  three  monks  to  be  beheaded  in  his  presence. 
"  This  martyrdom,"  he  adds, "  is  represented  in  an  ancient  painting  of  the  chapel 
which  still  exists." 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ.  303 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

OF  THE  MESSAGE  SENT  BY  THE  COUNT  TO  SANCHO  II. 

KING  OF  NAYARRE,  AND  THE  REPLY. THEIR  ENCOUNTER 

IN  BATTLE. 

THE  good  Count  of  Castile  was  so  inspirited  by  this  signal 
victory  over  the  Moors  and  their  great  general  Almanzor,  that 
he  determined,  now  that  he  had  a  breathing-spell  from  infidel 
warfare,  to  redress  certain  grievances  sustained  from  one  of  his 
Christian  neighbors.  This  was  Don  Sancho  II.,  King  of 
Navarre,  surnamed  Abarca,  either  from  the  abarcas  or  shep 
herd  shoes  which  he  had  worn  in  early  life  when  brought  up 
in  secrecy  and  indigence  during  the  overthrow  of  his  country 
by  the  Moors,  or  from  making  his  soldiers  wear  shoes  of  the 
kind  in  crossing  the  snowy  Pyrenees.  It  was  a  name  by  which 
the  populace  delighted  to  call  him. 

This  prince  had  recovered  all  Navarre  from  the  infidels,  and 
even  subjected  to  his  crown  all  Biscay,  or  Cantabria,  and  some 
territory  beyond  the  Pyrenees,  on  the  confines  of  France.  Not 
content  with  these  acquisitions,  he  had  made  occasional  inroads 
into  Castile  in  consequence  of  a  contest  respecting  the  ter 
ritories  of  Najarra  and  Rioxa,  to  which  he  laid  claim.  These 
incursions  he  repeated  whenever  he  had  peace  or  truce  with 
the  Moors.* 

*  Sandoval.  The.  Five  Bishops.  Mariana,  lib.  8,  c.  5,  p.  367.  Crcn.  Gen.  de 
Espana,  part  3,  c.  18,  fol.  53. 


304  CHRONICLE    OF    FERNAN    GONZALEZ. 

Count  Fernan  Gonzalez,  having  now  time,  as  has  been  ob- 
.served,  to  attend  to  these  matters,  sent  an  ambassador  to  King 
Sancho,  charged  with  a  courteous  but  resolute  message.  "  I 
come,"  Senor,  said  the  ambassador  to  the  king,  "  by  command 
of  the  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez  of  Castile,  and  this  is  what  I  am 
told  to  say.  You  have  done  him  much  wrong  in  times  past,  by 
leaguing  with  the  infidels  and  making  inroads  into  his  ter 
ritories  while  he  was  absent  or  engaged  in  war.  If  you  will 
amend  your  ways  in  this  respect  and  remedy  the  past,  you  will 
do  him  much  pleasure ;  but  if  you  refuse,  he  sends  you  his 
defiance." 

King  Sancho  Abarca  was  lost  in  astonishment  and  indig 
nation  at  receiving  such  a  message  from  a  count  of  Castile. 
"  Return  to  the  count,"  said  he,  "  and  tell  him  I  will  amend  noth 
ing  ;  that  I  marvel  at  his  insolence,  and  hold  him  for  a  mad 
man  for  daring  to  defy  me.  Tell  him  he  has  listened  to 
evil  counsel,  or  a  few  trifling  successes  against  the  Moors 
have  turned  his  brain  ;  but  it  will  be  very  different  when  I 
come  to  seek  him,  for  there  is  not  town  or  tower  from  which 
I  will  not  drag  him  forth."  * 

The  ambassador  returned  with  this  reply,  nor  did  he  spare 
the  least  of  its  scorn  and  bitterness.  Upon  this  the  count 
assembled  his  cavaliers  and  councillors,  and  represented  the 
case.  He  exhorted  them  to  stand  by  him  in  seeking  redress 
for  this  insult  and  injury  to  their  country  and  their  chieftain. 
"  We  are  not  equal  in  numbers  to  the  enemy,  but  we  are  valiant 
men,  united  and  true  to  each  other,  and  one  hundred  good 
lances  all  in  the  hands  of  chosen  cavaliers,  all  of  one  heart 
and  mind,  are  worth  three  hundred  placed  by  chance  in  the 
hands  of  men  who  have  no  common  tie."  The  cavaliers  all 

*  Cron.  Gen.  de  Espana,  ut  supra. 


CHRONICLE  OP  FERNAN  GONZALEZ.  305 

assured  him  they  would  follow  and  obey  him  as  loyal  sub 
jects  of  a  worthy  lord,  and  would  prove  their  fealty  in  the 
day  of  battle. 

A  little  army  of  staunch  Castilians  was  soon  assembled, 
the  silver  cross  was  again  reared  on  high  by  the  standard- 
bearer  Orbita  Velasquez,  and  the  count  advanced  resolutely 
a  day's  journey  into  the  kingdom  of  Navarre,  for  his  maxim 
was  to  strike  quickly  and  sudden.  King  Sancho  wondered 
at  his  daring,  but  hastened  to  meet  him  with  a  greatly  superior 
force.  The  armies  came  in  sight  of  each  other  at  a  place 
called  the  Era  de  Gollanda. 

The  count  now  addressed  his  men.  "  The  enemy,"  said  he, 
"  are  more  numerous  than  we ;  they  are  vigorous  of  body 
and  light  of  foot,  and  are  dexterous  in  throwing  darts.  They 
will  have  the  advantage  if  they  attack  us ;  but  if  we  attack 
them  and  close  manfully,  we  shall  get  the  field  of  them  before 
they  have  time  to  hurl  their  darts  and  wound  us.  For  my 
part,  I  shall  make  for  the  king.  If  I  can  but  revenge  the 
wrongs  of  Castile  upon  his  person  I  care  not  how  soon  I  die." 

As  the  armies  drew  near  each  other  the  Castilians,  true 
to  the  orders  of  their  chieftain,  put  up  the  war-cry,  "  Castile  ! 
Castile ! "  and  rushing  forward,  broke  through  the  squadrons 
of  Navarre.  Then  followed  a  fight  so  pitiless  and  deadly, 
says  an  old  chronicler,  that  the  strokes  of  their  weapons 
resounded  through  the  whole  country.  The  count  sought 
King  Sancho  throughout  the  field  ;  they  met  and  recognized 
each  other  by  their  armorial  bearings  and  devices.  They 
fought  with  fury,  until  both  fell  from  their  horses  as  if  dead. 
The  Castilians  cut  their  way  through  the  mass  of  the  enemy, 
and  surrounded  their  fallen  chief.  Some  raised  him  from 

the  earth  while  others  kept  off  the  foe.     At  first  they  thought 
14* 


306          CHRONICLE  OF  FEKNAN  GONZALEZ. 

him  dead,  and  were  loud  in  their  lamentations ;  but  when  the 
blood  and  dust  were  wiped  from  his  face  he  revived  and  told 
them  not  to  heed  him,  for  his  wounds  were  nothing  ;  but  to 
press  on  and  gain  the  victory,  for  he  had  slain  the  King  of 
Navarre. 

At  hearing  this  they  gave  a  great  shout  and  returned  to 
the  fight ;  but  those  of  Navarre,  seized  with  terror  at  the  fall 
of  their  king,  turned  their  backs  and  fled. 

The  count  then  caused  ,the  body  of  the  king  to  be  taken 
from  among  the  slain  and  to  be  conducted  back,  honorably 
attended,  to  Navarre.  Thus  fell  Sancho  Abarca,  King  of 
Navarre,  and  was  succeeded  by  his  son  Don  Garcia,  sur- 
named  the  Trembler. 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ.  807 


CHAPTER  IX. 

HOW   THE    COUNT  OF  TOULOUSE   MAKES    A    CAMPAIGN  AGAINST 
CASTILE,  AND    HOW   HE   RETURNS    IN   HIS    COFFIN. 

WHILE  the  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez  was  yet  ill  of  his 
wounds  in  his  capital,  and  when  his  soldiers  had  scarce  laid 
by  their  cuirasses  and  hung  up  their  shields  and  lances,  there 
was  a  fresh  alarm  of  war.  The  Count  of  Toulouse  and 
Poictiers,  the  close  friend  and  ally  of  King  Sancho  Abarca, 
had  come  from  France  with  a  host  to  his  assistance,  but 
finding  him  defeated  and  slain,  raised  his  standard  to  make 
a  campaign,  in  his  revenge,  against  the  Castilians.  The 
Navarrese  all  gathered  round  him,  and  now  an  army  was 
on  foot  more  powerful  than  the  one  which  had  recently  been 
defeated. 

Count  Fernan  Gonzalez,  wounded  as  he  was,  summoned 
his  troops  to  march  against  this  new  enemy;  but  the  war 
worn  Castilians,  vexed  at  being  thus  called  again  to  arms 
before  they  had  time  to  breathe,  began  to  murmur.  "  This 
is  the  life  of  the  very  devil,"  said  they,  "  to  go  about  day 
and  night,  without  a  moment's  rest.  This  lord  of  ours  is  as 
suredly  Satan  himself,  and  we  are  lesser  devils  in  his  employ, 
always  busy  entrapping  the  souls  of  men.  He  has  no  pity  for 
us,  so  battered  and  worn,  nor  for  himself,  so  badly  wounded. 
It  is  necessary  that  some  one  should  talk  with  him,  and  turn 
him  from  this  madness." 


308          CHRONICLE  OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ. 

Accordingly  a  hardy  cavalier,  Nuno  Laynez,  remonstrated 
with  the  count  against  further  fighting  until  he  should  be 
cured  of  his  wounds  and  his  people  should  have  time  to  re 
pose  ;  for  mortal  men  could  not  support  this  kind  of  life. 
"  Nor  is  this  urged  through  cowardice,"  added  he,  "  for  your 
men  are  ready  to  fight  for  and  defend  you  as  they  would 
their  own  souls." 

"  Well  have  you  spoken,  Nuno  Laynez,"  replied  the  count ; 
"  yet  for  all  this  I  am  not  minded  to  defer  this  fight.  A  day 
lost  never  returns.  An  opportunity  foregone  can  never  be 
recalled.  The  warrior  who  indulges  in  repose  will  never 
leave  the  memory  of  great  deeds  behind  him.  His  name 
dies  when  his  soul  leaves  his  body.  Let  us,  therefore,  make 
the  most  of  the  days  and  hours  allotted  us,  and  crowd  them 
with  such  glorious  deeds  that  the  world  shall  praise  us  in 
all  future  time." 

When  Nuno  Laynez  repeated  these  generous  words  to 
the  cavaliers,  the  blood  glowed  in  their  veins,  and  they 
prepared  themselves  manfully  for  the  field ;  nor  did  the  count 
give  them  time  to  cool  before  he  put  himself  at  their  head 
and  marched  to  meet  the  enemy.  He  found  them  drawn  up 
on  the  opposite  side  of  a  river  which  was  swollen  and  troubled 
by  recent  rains.  Without  hesitation  he  advanced  to  ford  it, 
but  his  troops  were  galled  by  flights  of  darts  and  arrows  as 
they  crossed,  and  received  with  lances  on  the  water's  edge  ; 
the  bodies  of  many  floated  down  the  turbid  stream,  and  many 
perished  on  the  banks.  They  made  good  their  crossing, 
however,  and  closed  with  the  enemy.  The  fight  was  obsti 
nate  and  the  Castilians  were  hardly  pressed,  being  so  inferior 
in  number.  Don  Fernan  Gonzalez  galloped  along  the  front 
of  the  enemy.  "  Where  is  the  Count  of  Toulouse  ?  "  cried  he  ; 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ.  309 

"  let  him  come  forth  and  face  me,  —  me,  Fernan  Gonzalez  of 
Castile,  who  defy  him  to  single  combat ! "  The  count  answered 
promptly  to  the  defiance.  No  one  from  either  side  presumed 
to  interfere  while  the  two  counts  encountered,  man  to  man 
and  horse  to  horse,  like  honorable  and  generous  cavaliers. 
They  rushed  upon  each  other  with  the  full  speed  of  their 
horses ;  the  lance  of  Don  Fernan  pierced  .through  all  the 
armor  and  accoutrements  of  the  Count  of  Toulouse  and  bore 
him  out  of  the  saddle,  and  before  he  touched  the  earth  his 
soul  had  already  parted  from  his  body.  The  men  of  Tou 
louse,  seeing  their  chief  fall  dead,  fled  amain,  but  were  pur 
sued  and  three  hundred  of  them  taken.* 

The  field  being  won,  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez  alighted  and 
took  off  the  armor  of  the  Count  of  Toulouse,  with  his  own 
hands,  and  wrapped  him  in  a  xemete,  or  Moorish  mantle,  of 
great  value,  which  he  had  gained  when  he  conquered  Alman- 
zor.  He  ordered  a  coffin  to  be  made,  and  covered  with  cloth 
of  gold  and  studded  with  silver  nails,  and  he  put  therein  the 
body  of  the  count,  and  delivered  it  to  the  captive  cavaliers, 
whom  he  released,  and  furnished  with  money  for  their  ex 
penses,  making  them  swear  not  to  leave  the  body  of  the  count 
until  they  had  conducted  it  to  Toulouse.  So  the  count,  who 
had  come  from  France  in  such  chivalrous  state  at  the  head 
of  an  array  of  shining  warriors,  returned  in  his  coffin  with 
a  mourning  train  of  vanquished  cavaliers,  while  Count  Fer 
nan  Gonzalez  conducted  his  victorious  troops  in  triumph  back 
to  Burgos. 

This  signal  victory  took  place  in  the  year  of  our  Redemp 
tion  926,  in  the  beginning  of  the  reign  of  Alfonso  the  Monk 
on  the  throne  of  Leon  and  the  Asturias.f 

*  Cron.  Gen.  de  Espana.  f  Mariana,  lib.  8,  c.  5,  p.  367. 


310          CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ. 


CHAPTER  X. 

HOW  THE  COUNT  WENT  TO  RECEIVE  THE  HAND  OF  A  PRINCESS, 

AND    WAS    THROWN    INTO  A  DUNGEON. OF    THE    STRANGER 

THAT    VISITED     HIM    IN    HIS    CHAINS,   AND    OF    THE    APPEAL 
THAT    HE    MADE    TO    THE    PRINCESS    FOR    HIS    DELIVERANCE. 

GARCIA  II.,  who  had  succeeded  to  the  throne  of  Navarre  on 
the  death  of  his  father,  was  brave  of  soul,  though  sumamed  El 
Tembloso,  or  The  Trembler.  He  was  so  called  because  he 
was  observed  to  tremble  on  going  into  battle  ;  but,  as  has  been 
said  of  others,  it  was  only  the  flesh  that  trembled,  foreseeing 
the  dangers  into  which  the  spirit  would  carry  it.  This  king  was 
deeply  grieved  at  the  death  of  his  father,  slain  by  Count  Fer- 
nan  Gonzalez,  and  would  have  taken  vengeance  by  open  war 
fare,  but  he  was  counselled  by  his  mother,  the  Queen  Teresa, 
to  pursue  a  subtler  course.  At  her  instigation  overtures  were 
made  to  the  count  to  settle  all  the  feuds  between  Navarre  and 
Castile  by  a  firm  alliance,  and  to  this  end  it  was  proposed  that 
the  count  should  take  to  wife  Dona  Sancha,  the  sister  of  King 
Garcia  and  daughter  of  King  Sancho  Abarca.  The  count 
accepted  gladly  the  proffered  alliance,  for  he  had  heard  of  the 
great  merit  and  beauty  of  the  princess,  and  was  pleased  with 
so  agreeable  a  mode  of  putting  an  end  to  all  their  contests.  A 
conference  was  accordingly  appointed  between  the  count  and 
King  Garcia,  to  take  place  at  Ciruena,  each  to  be  attended 
only  by  five  cavaliers. 


CHRONICLE  OF  FEKNAN  GONZALEZ.          311 

The  count  was  faithful  to  his  compact,  and  appeared  at  the 
appointed  place  with  five  of  the  bravest  of  his  cavaliers  ;  but 
the  king  arrived  with  five-and-thirty  chosen  men,  all  armed 
cap-a-pie.  The  count,  suspecting  treachery,  retreated  with  his 
cavaliers  into  a  neighboring  hermitage,  and  barricading  the 
door,  defended  himself  throughout  the  day  until  nightfall. 
Seeing  there  was  no  alternative,  he  at  length  capitulated  and 
agreed  to  surrender  himself  a  prisoner,  and  pay  homage  to 
the  king,  on  the  latter  assuring  him  under  oath  that  his  life 
should  be  secure.  King  Garcia  the  Trembler,  having  in  this 
wily  manner  gained  possession  of  the  count,  threw  him  in  irons 
and  conducted  him  prisoner  to  Navarre,  where  he  confined 
him  in  a  strong  castle  called  Castro  Viejo.  At  his  inter 
cession,  however,  his  five  cavaliers  were  released,  and  carried 
back  to  Castile  the  doleful  tidings  of  his  captivity. 

Now  it  came  to  pass  that  a  brave  Norman  count,  who  was 
performing  a  pilgrimage  to  St.  lago  of  Compogtella,  heard  that 
the  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez,  whose  renown  had  spread  far  and 
wide,  lay  in  chains  in  Castro  Viejo.  Having  a  vehement 
desire  to  see  the  man  of  whom  fame  had  spoken  so  loudly,  he 
repaired  to  the  castle  and  bribed  his  way  to  the  prison  of  the 
count.  When  he  entered  and  beheld  so  noble  a  cavalier  in  a 
solitary  dungeon  and  in  chains,  he  was  sore  at  heart.  The 
count  looked  up  with  wonder  as  this  stranger  stood  before  him 
in  pilgrim  garb  and  with  sorrowful  aspect,  but  when  he  learnt 
his  name  and  rank,  and  the  object  of  his  visit,  he  gave  him  the 
right  hand  of  friendship. 

The  pilgrim  count  left  the  castle  more  enamored  than  ever 
of  the  character  of  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez.  At  a  festival  of 
the  court  he  beheld  the  Princess  Sancha,  who  had  served  as  a 
lure  to  draw  the  good  count  into  the  power  of  his  enemies,  and 


312  CHRONICLE    OF   FERNAN    GONZALEZ. 

he  found  her  of  surpassing  beauty  and  of  a  gentle  and  loving 
demeanor ;  so  he  determined  to  seek  an  opportunity  to  speak 
with  her  in  private,  for  surely,  thought  he,  in  such  a  bosom 
must  dwell  the  soft  pity  of  womanhood.  Accordingly,  one  day 
as  the  princess  was  walking  in  the  garden  with  her  ladies,  he 
presented  himself  before  her  in  his  pilgrim's  garb,  and  prayed 
to  speak  with  her  apart,  as  if  on  some  holy  mission.  And 
when  they  were  alone,  "  How  is  this,  Princess,"  said  he,  "  that 
you  are  doing  such  great  wrong  to  Heaven,  to  yourself,  and  to 
all  Christendom  ? "  The  princess  started  and  said,  "  What 
wrong  have  I  done  ?  "  Then  replied  the  pilgrim  count,  "  Be 
hold,  for  thy  sake  the  noblest  of  cavaliers,  the  pride  of  Spain, 
the  flower  of  chivalry,  the  hope  of  Christendom,  lies  in  a 
dungeon,  fettered  with  galling  chains.  What  lady  but  would 
be  too  happy  to  be  honored  with  the  love  of  Count  Fernan 
Gonzalez  ;  and  thou  hast  scorned  it !  How  will  it  tell  for  thy 
fame  in  future  times,  that  thou  wast  made  a  snare  to  capture 
an  honorable  knight ;  that  the  gentlest,  the  bravest,  the  most 
generous  of  cavaliers  was  inveigled  by  the  love  of  thee  to  be 
thrown  into  a  dungeon  ?  How  hast  thou  reversed  the  maxims 
of  chivalry  !  Beauty  has  ever  been  the  friend  of  valor ;  but 
thou  hast  been  its  foe  !  The  fair  hands  of  lovely  dames  have 
ever  bestowed  laurels  and  rewards  on  those  gallant  knights 
who  sought  and  deserved  their  loves ;  thou  hast  bestowed 
chains  and  a  dungeon.  Behold,  the  Moors  rejoice  in  his  cap 
tivity,  while  all  Christians  mourn.  Thy  name  will  be  accursed 
throughout  the  land  like  that  of  Cava  ;  but  shouldst  thou  have 
the  heroism  to  set  him  free,  thou  wilt  be  extolled  above  all 
Spanish  ladies.  Hadst  thou  but  seen  him  as  I  have  done, — 
alone,  abandoned,  enchained ;  yet  so  noble,  so  courteous,  so 
heroic  in  his  chains  that  kings  upon  their  thrones  might  envy 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ.  313 

the  majesty  of  his  demeanor.  If  thou  couldst  feel  love  for 
man,  thou  shouldst  do  it  for  this  knight ;  for  I  swear  to  thee  on 
this  cross  which  I  bear,  that  never  was  there  king  or  emperor 
in  the  world  so  worthy  of  woman's  love."  When  the  pilgrim 
count  had  thus  spoken,  he  left  the  princess  to  meditate  upon 
his  words. 


314          CHRONICLE  OF  FEKNAN  GONZALEZ. 


CHAPTER   XL 

OF  THE  MEDITATIONS  OF  THE  PRINCESS,  AND  THEIR  RESULT. 
HER  FLIGHT  FROM  THE  PRISON  WITH  THE  COUNT,  AND 
PERILS  OF  THE  ESCAPE. THE  NUPTIALS. 

THE  Princess  Sancha  remained  for  some  time  in  the  garden, 
revolving  in  her  mind  all  that  she  had  just  heard,  and  tender 
ness  for  the  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez  began  to  awaken  in  her 
bosom  ;  for  nothing  so  touches  the  heart  of  woman  as  the  idea 
of  valor  suffering  for  her  sake.  The  more  the  princess  medi 
tated  the  more  she  became  enamored.  She  called  to  mind 
all  she  had  heard  of  the  illustrious  actions  of  the  count.  She 
thought  upon  the  pictures  just  drawn  of  him  in  prison,  —  so 
noble,  so  majestic  in  his  chains.  She  remembered  the  parting 
words  of  the  pilgrim  count,  —  "  Never  was  there  king  nor  em 
peror  so  worthy  of  a  woman's  love."  "  Alas  !  "  cried  she,  "  was 
there  ever  a  lady  more  unfortunate  than  I  ?  All  the  love  and 
devotion  of  this  noble  cavalier  I  might  have  had,  and  behold 
it  has  been  made  a  mockery.  Both  he  and  myself  have  been 
wronged  by  the  treachery  of  my  brother." 

At  length  the  passion  of  the  princess  arose  to  such  a  height 
that  she  determined  to  deliver  the  count  from  the  misery  of 
which  she  had  been  made  the  instrument.  So  she  found  means 
one  night  to  bribe  the  guards  of  his  prison,  and  made  her  way 
to  his  dungeon.  When  the  count  saw  her,  he  thought  it  a  beau 
tiful  vision,  or  some  angel  sent  from  heaven  to  comfort  him, 


CHRONICLE  OF  FEUNAN  GONZALEZ.  315 

for  certainly  her  beauty  surpassed  the  ordinary  loveliness  of 
woman. 

"  Noble  cavalier,"  said  the  princess,  "  this  is  no  time  for  idle 
words  and  ceremonies.  Behold  before  you  the  Princess  Dona 
Sancha  ;  the  word  which  my  brother  brake  I  am  here  to  fulfil. 
You  came  to  receive  my  hand,  and,  instead,  you  were  thrown  in 
chains.  I  come  to  yield  you  that  hand,  and  to  deliver  you  from 
those  chains.  Behold,  the  door  of  your  prison  is  open,  and  I 
am  ready  to  fly  with  you  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  Swear  to 
me  one  word,  and  when  you  have  sworn  it,  I  know  your  loyalty 
too  well  to  doubt  that  you  will  hold  your  oath  sacred.  Swear 
that  if  I  fly  with  you,  you  will  treat  me  with  the  honor  of  a 
knight ;  that  you  will  make  me  your  wife,  and  never  leave  me 
for  any  other  woman." 

The  count  swore  all  this  on  the  faith  of  a  Christian  cavalier ; 
and  well  did  he  feel  disposed  to  keep  his  oath,  for  never  before 
had  he  beheld  such  glorious  beauty. 

So  the  princess  led  the  way,  and  her  authority  and  her  money 
had  conquered  the  fidelity  of  the  guards,  so  that  they  permitted 
the  count  to  sally  forth  with  her  from  the  prison. 

It  was  a  dark  night,  and  they  left  the  great  road  and  climbed 
a  mountain.  The  count  was  so  fettered  by  his  chains  that  he 
moved  with  difficulty,  but  the  princess  helped  and  sometimes 
almost  carried  him  ;  for  what  will  not  delicate  woman  perform 
when  her  love  and  pity  are  fully  aroused.  Thus  they  toiled  on 
their  way  until  the  day  dawned,  when  they  hid  themselves  in 
the  cliffs  of  the  mountain,  among  rocks  and  thickets.  While  thus 
concealed  they  beheld  an  archpriest  of  the  castle,  mounted 
on  a  mule  with  a  falcon  on  his  fist,  hawking  about  the  lower 
part  of  the  mountain.  The  count  knew  him  to  be  a  base  and 
malignant  man,  and  watched  his  movements  with  great  anxiety. 


316          CHRONICLE  OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ. 

He  had  two  hounds  beating  about  the  bushes,  which  at  length 
got  upon  the  traces  of  the  count  and  princess,  and  discovering 
them,  set  up  a  violent  barking.  Alighting  from  his  mule  the 
archpriest  clambered  up  to  where  the  fugitives  were  con 
cealed.  He  knew  the  count,  and  saw  that  he  had  escaped. 
"  Aha !  traitor,"  cried  he,  drawing  his  sword,  "  think  not  to 
escape  from  the  power  of  the  king."  The  count  saw  that  re 
sistance  was  in  vain,  for  he  was  without  weapon  and  in  chains, 
and  the  archpriest  was  a  powerful  man,  exceeding  broad 
across  the  shoulders ;  he  sought,  therefore,  to  win  him  by  fair 
words,  promising  that  if  he  would  aid  him  to  escape  he  would 
give  him  a  city  in  Castile,  for  him  and  his  heirs  forever.  But 
the  archpriest  was  more  violent  than  ever,  and  held  his  sword 
at  the  breast  of  the  count  to  force  him  back  to  the  castle. 
Upon  this  the  princess  rushed  forward,  and  with  tears  in  her 
eyes  implored  him  not  to  deliver  the  count  into  the  hands  of 
his  enemies.  But  the  heart  of  the  priest  was  inflamed  by  the 
beauty  of  the  princess,  and  thinking  her  at  his  mercy,  "  Gladly," 
said  he,  "  will  I  assist  the  count  to  escape,  but  upon  one  con 
dition."  Then  he  whispered  a  proposal  which  brought  a  crim 
son  glow  of  horror  and  indignation  into  the  cheeks  of  the  prin 
cess,  and  he  would  have  laid  his  hand  upon  her,  but  he  was 
suddenly  lifted  from  the  earth  by  the  strong  grasp  of  the 
count,  who  bore  him  to  the  edge  of  a  precipice  and  flung  him 
headlong  down ;  and  his  neck  was  broken  in  the  fall. 

The  count  then  took  the  mule  of  the  archpriest,  his  hawk, 
and  his  hounds,  and  after  keeping  in  the  secret  parts  of  the 
mountain  all  day,  he  and  the  princess  mounted  the  mule  at 
night,  and  pursued  their  way,  by  the  most  rugged  and  unfre 
quented  passes,  toward  Castile. 

As  the  day  dawned  they  found  themselves  in  an  open  plain 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ.  317 

at  the  foot  of  the  mountains,  and  beheld  a  body  of  horsemen 
riding  toward  them,  conducting  a  car,  in  which  sat  a  knight  in 
armor,  bearing  a  standard.  The  princess  now  gave  all  up  for 
lost  "  These,"  said  she,  "  are  sent  by  my  brother  in  pursuit  of 
us ;  how  can  we  escape,  for  this  poor  animal  has  no  longer 
strength  nor  speed  to  bear  us  up  the  mountains."  Upon  this 
Count  Fernan  alighted,  and  drawing  the  sword  of  the  archpriest, 
placed  himself  in  a  narrow  pass.  "  Do  you,"  said  he  to  the 
princess,  "  turn  back  and  hasten  to  the  mountains,  and  dearly 
shall  it  cost  him  who  attempts  to  follow  you."  "  Not  so," 
replied  the  princess;  "for  the  love  of  me  hast  thou  been 
brought  from  thine  own  domain  and  betrayed  into  all  these 
dangers,  and  I  will  abide  to  share  them  with  thee." 

The  count  would  have  remonstrated,  when  to  his  astonish 
ment  he  saw,  as  the  car  drew  near,  that  the  knight  seated  in  it 
was  clad  in  his  own  armor,  with  his  own  devices,  and  held  his 
own  banner  in  his  hand.  "  Surelyf"  said  he,  crossing  himself, 
"  this  is  enchantment ; "  but  on  looking  still  nearer,  he  recog 
nized  among  the  horsemen  Nuno  Sandias  and  Nuno  Laynez, 
two  of  his  most  faithful  knights.  Then  his  heart  leaped  for 
joy.  "  Fear  nothing,"  cried  he  to  the  princess  ;  "  behold  my 
standard,  and  behold  my  vassals.  Those  whom  you  feared  as 
enemies  shall  kneel  at  your  feet  and  kiss  your  hand  in  homage." 

Now  so  it  appears  that  the  tidings  of  the  captivity  of  the 
count  had  spread  mourning  and  consternation  throughout 
Castile,  and  the  cavaliers  assembled  together  to  devise  means 
for  his  deliverance.  And  certain  of  them  had  prepared  this 
effigy  of  the  count  clad  in  his  armor  and  bearing  his  banner 
and  devices,  and  having  done  homage  and  sworn  fealty  to 
it  as  they  would  have  done  to  the  count  himself,  they  had 
placed  it  in  this  car  and  set  forth  with  it  as  a  leader,  making 


318  CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ. 

a  vow,  in  the  spirit  of  ancient  chivalry,  never  to  return  to 
their  homes  until  they  should  have  delivered  the  count  from 
his  captivity. 

When  the  cavaliers  recognized  the  count  they  put  up  shouts 
of  joy,  and  kissed  his-  hands  and  the  hands  of  the  princess 
in  token  of  devoted  loyalty.  And  they  took  off  the  fetters 
of  the  count  and  placed  him  in  the  car  and  the  princess 
beside  him,  and  returned  joyfully  to  Castile. 

Vain  would  be  the  attempt  to  describe  the  transports  of 
the  multitude  as  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez  entered  his  noble 
capital  of  Burgos.  The  Princess  Sancha,  also,  was  hailed  with 
blessings  wherever  she  passed,  as  the  deliverer  of  their  lord 
and  the  savior  of  Castile,  and  shortly  afterwards  her  nuptials 
with  the  count  were  celebrated  with  feasting  and  rejoicing 
and  tilts  and  tournaments,  which  lasted  for  many  days. 


CHRONICLE  OF  PERNAN  GONZALEZ.          319 


CHAPTER  XII. 

KING    GARCIA    CONFINED     IN     BURGOS     BY    THE    COUNT. THE 

PRINCESS    INTERCEDES    FOR    HIS   RELEASE. 

THE  rejoicings  for  the  marriage  of  Count  Fernan  Gon 
zalez  with  the  beautiful  Princess  Sancha  were  scarcely  finished, 
when  King  Garcia  the  Trembler  came  with  a  powerful  army 
to  revenge  his  various  affronts.  The  count  sallied  forth  to 
meejt  him,  and  a  bloody  and  doubtful  battle  ensued.  The 
Navarrese  at  length  were  routed,  and  the  king  was  wounded 
and  taken  prisoner  in  single  combat  by  Count  Fernan,  who 
brought  him  to  Burgos  and  put  him  in  close  confinement. 

The  Countess  Dona  Sancha  was  now  almost  as  much  af 
flicted  at  the  captivity  of  her  brother  as  she  had  been  at  that 
of  the  count,  and  interceded  with  her  husband  for  his  release. 
The  count,  however,  retairied  too  strong  a  recollection  of 
the  bad  faith  of  King  Garcia  and  of  his  own  treacherous  and 
harsh  imprisonment  to  be  easily  moved,  and  the  king  was 
kept  in  duress  for  a  considerable  time.  The  countess  then 
interested  the  principal  cavaliers  in  her  suit,  reminding  them 
of  the  services  she  had  rendered  them  in  aiding  the  escape 
of  their  lord.  Through  their  united  intercessions  the  count 
was  induced  to  relent ;  so  King  Garcia  the  Trembler  was 
released  and  treated  with  great  honor,  and  sent  back  to  his 
dominions  with  a  retinue  befitting  his  rank. 


320  CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

OF  THE  EXPEDITION  AGAINST  THE  ANCIENT  CITY  OF  SYLO.  — 
THE  UNWITTING  TRESPASS  OF  THE  COUNT  INTO  A  CON 
VENT,  AND  HIS  COMPUNCTION  THEREUPON. 

VOLUMES  would  it  take  to  follow  the  Count  Fernan  Gon 
zalez  in  his  heroic  achievements  against  the  infidels, —  achieve 
ments  which  give  to  sober  history  almost  the  air  of  fable. 
I  forbear  to  dwell  at  large  upon  one  of  his  campaigns,  wherein 
he  scoured  the  valley  of  Laguna ;  passed  victoriously  along 
the  banks  of  the  Douro,  building  towers  and  castles  to  keep 
the  country  in  subjection  ;  how  he  scaled  the  walls  of  the 
castle  of  Ormaz,  being  the  first  to  mount,  sword  in  hand ; 
how  by  the  valor  of  his  arm  he  captured  the  city  of  Orma ; 
how  he  took  the  town  of  Sandoval,  the  origin  of  the  cavaliers 
of  Sandoval,  who  were  anciently  call  Salvadores ;  how  he 
made  an  inroad  even  to  Madrid,  then  a  strongly  fortified 
village,  and  having  taken  and  sacked  it,  returned  in  triumph 
to  Burgos. 

But  it  would  be  wronging  the  memory  of  this  great  and 
good  cavalier  to  pass  in  silence  over  one  of  his  exploits  in 
which  he  gave  a  singular  instance  of  his  piety.  This  was  in 
an  expedition  against  the  ancient  city  of  Sylo.  It  was  not 
a  place  of  much  value  in  itself,  being  situated  in  a  cold  and 
sterile  country,  but  it  had  become  a  stronghold  of  the  Moors, 
whence  they  carried  on  their  warfare.  This  place  the  count 


CHRONICLE  OF  FEUNAN  GONZALEZ.  321 

carried  by  assault,  entering  it  in  full  armor,  on  his  steed,  over 
turning  and  slaying  all  who  opposed  him.  In  the  fury  of 
his  career  he  rode  into  a  spacious  edifice  which  he  supposed 
to  be  a  mosque,  with  the  pious  intention  of  slaying  every 
infidel  he  might  find  within.  On  looking  round,  however, 
great  was  his  astonishment  at  beholding  images  of  saints, 
the  blessed  cross  of  our  Saviour,  and  various  other  sacred 
objects,  which  announced  a  church  devoted  to  the  veritable 
faith.  Struck  with  remorse,  he  sprang  from  his  horse,  threw 
himself  upon  his  knees,  and  with  many  tears  implored  par 
don  of  God  for  the  sin  he  had  unknowingly  committed. 
While  he  was  yet  on  his  knees,  several  monks  of  the  order 
of  St.  Dominick  approached,  meagre  in  looks  and  squalid 
in  attire,  but  hailing  him  with  great  joy  as  their  deliverer. 
In  sooth  this  was  a  convent  of  San  Sebastian,  the  fraternity 
of  which  had  remained  captives  among  the  Moors,  support 
ing  themselves  poorly  by  making  baskets,  but  permitted  to 
continue  in  the  exercise  of  their  religion. 

Still  filled  with  pious  compunction  for  the  trespass  he 
had  made,  the  count  ordered  that  the  shoes  should  be  taken 
from  his  horse  and  nailed  upon  the  door  of  the  church  ;  for 
never,  said  he,  shall  they  tread  any  other  ground  after  hav 
ing  trodden  this  holy  place.  From  that  day,  we  are  told, 
it  has  been  the  custom  to  nail  the  shoes  of  horses  on  the 
portal  of  that  convent,  a  custom  which  has  extended  to  many 
other  places. 

The  worthy  Fray  Prudencia  de  Sandoval  records  a  mar 
vellous  memento  of  the  expedition  of  the  count  against 
this  city,  which  remained,  he  says,  until  his  day.  Not  far 
from  the  place,  on  the  road  which  passes  by  Lara,  is  to  be 
seen  the  print  of  his  horse's  hoofs  in  a  solid  rock,  which  has 

VOL.    I.  15 


322  CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ. 

received  the  impression  as  though  it  had  been  made  in 
softened  wax.*  It  is  to  be  presumed  that  the  horse's  hoofs 
had  been  gifted  with  miraculous  hardness  in  reward  to  the 
count  for  his  pious  oblation  of  the  shoes. 

*  Sandoval,  p.  313. 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ.  323 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

OF  THE  MOORISH  HOST  THAT  CAME  UP  FROM  CORDOVA, 
AND  HOW  THE  COUNT  REPAIRED  TO  THE  HERMITAGE  OF 
SAN  PEDRO,  AND  PRAYED  FOR  SUCCESS  AGAINST  THEM, 

AND     RECEIVED     ASSURANCE     OF    VICTORY    IN     A    VISION. 

BATTLE    OF   HAZINAS. 

THE  worthy  Fray  Antonio  Agapida,  from  whose  manu 
scripts  this  memoir  is  extracted,  passes  by  many  of  the  strik 
ing  and  heroic  deeds  of  the  count,  which  crowd  the  pages 
of  ancient  chroniclers ;  but  the  good  friar  ever  is  sure  to 
dwell  with  delight  upon  any  of  those  miraculous  occurrences 
which  took  place  in  Spain  in  those  days,  and  which  showed 
the  marked  interposition  of  Heaven  in  behalf  of  the  Chris 
tian  warriors  in  their  battles  with  the  infidels.  Such  was 
the  renowned  battle  of  Hazinas,  which,  says  Agapida,  for 
its  miraculous  events  is  worthy  of  eternal  blazon. 

Now  so  it  was  that  the  Moorish  King  of  Cordova  had  sum 
moned  all  the  faithful,  both  of  Spain  and  Africa,  to  assist 
him  in  recovering  the  lands  wrested  from  him  by  the  un 
believers,  and  especially  by  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez  in  his 
late  victories  ;  and  such  countless  legions  of  turbaned  war 
riors  were  assembled  that  it  was  said  they  covered  the  plains 
of  Andalusia,  like  swarms  of  locusts. 

Hearing  of  their  threatening  approach  the  count  gathered 
together  his  forces  at  Piedrafita,  while  the  Moors  encamped 


324  OHKONICLE  OV  FERNAN  GONZALEZ. 

in  Hazinas.  When,  however,  he  beheld  the  mighty  host 
arrayed  against  him,  his  heart  for  once  was  troubled  with 
evil  forebodings,  and  calling  to  mind  the  cheering  prognosti 
cations  of  the  friar  Pelayo  on  a  like  occasion,  he  resolved  to 
repair  again  to  that  holy  man  for  counsel.  Leaving  his  camp 
therefore  secretly,  he  set  out,  accompanied  by  two  cavaliers, 
to  seek  the  chapel  which  he  had  ordered  to  be  built  at  the 
hermitage  of  San  Pedro,  on  the  mountain  overhanging  the 
river  Arlanza,  but  when  he  arrived  there  he  heard  to  his 
great  grief  that  the  worthy  friar  was  dead. 

Entering  the  chapel,  however,  he  knelt  down  at  the  altar 
and  prayed  for  success  in  the  coming  fight ;  humbly  repre 
senting  that  he  had  never,  like  many  of  the  kings  and  nobles 
of  Spain,  done  homage  to  the  infidels  and  acknowledged 
them  for  sovereigns.  The  count  remained  a  long  time  at 
prayer,  until  sleep  gradually  stole  over  him  ;  and  as  he  lay 
slumbering  before  the  altar  the  holy  Fray  Pelayo  appeared 
before  him  in  a  vision,  clad  in  garments  as  white  as  snow. 
"  Why  sleepest  thou,  Fernan  Gonzalez  ?  "  said  he  ;  "  arise,  and 
go  forth,  and  know  that  thou  shalt  conquer  those  Moors.  For, 
inasmuch  as  thou  art  a  faithful  vassal  of  the  Most  High,  he 
has  commanded  the  Apostle  San  lago  and  myself,  with  many 
angels,  to  come  to  thy  aid,  and  we  will  appear  in  the  battle 
clad  in  white  armor,  with  each  of  us  a  red  cross  upon  our 
pennon.  Therefore  arise,  I  say,  and  go  hence  with  a  valiant 
heart." 

The  count  awoke,  and  while  he  was  yet  musing  upon  the 
vision  he  heard  a  voice  saying,  "Arise,  and  get  thee  hence ;  why 
dost  thou  linger  ?  Separate  thy  host  into  three  divisions  :  enter 
the  field  of  battle  by  the  east,  with  the  smallest  division,  and 
I  will  be  with  thee  ;  and  let  the  second  division  enter  by  the 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ.  825 

west,  and  that  shall  be  aided  by  San  lago  ;  and  let  the  third 
division  enter  by  the  north.  Know  that  I  am  San  Millan  who 
come  to  thee  with  this  message." 

The  count  departed  joyfully  from  the  chapel,  and  returned 
to  his  army ;  and  when  he  told  his  troops  of  this,  his  second 
visit  to  the  hermitage,  and  of  the  vision  he  had  had,  and  how 
the  holy  friar  San  Pelayo  had  again  assured  him  of  victory, 
their  hearts  were  lifted  up,  and  they  rejoiced  to  serve  ..under 
a  leader  who  had  such  excellent  counsellors  in  war. 

In  the  evening  preceding  the  battle  Don  Fernan  Gonzalez 
divided  his  forces  as  he  had  been  ordered.  The  first  division 
was  composed  of  two  hundred  horsemen  and  six  thousand 
infantry ;  hardy  mountaineers,  light  of  foot  and  of  great  valor. 
In  the  advance  were  Don  Gustios  Gonzalez  of  Salas,  and 
his  seven  sons  and  two  nephews,  and  his  brother  Ruy  Velas 
quez,  and  a  valiant  cavalier  named  Gonzalo  Dias. 

The  second  division  was  led  by  Don  Lope  de  Biscaya,  with 
the  people  of  Burueba  and  Trevino,  and  Old  Castile  and  Cas 
tro  and  the  Asturias.  Two  hundred  horsemen  and  six  thou 
sand  infantry. 

The  third  division  was  led  by  the  count  himself,  and  with 
him  went  Ruy  Cavia,  and  Nuno  Cavia  and  the  Velascos, 
whom  the  count  that  day  clubbed  knights,  and  twenty  esquires 
of  the  count,  whom  he  had  likewise  knighted.  His  division 
consisted  of  four  hundred  and  fifty  horse  and  fifteen  hundred 
foot ;  and  he  told  his  men,  that  if  they  should  not  conquer  the 
Moors  on  the  following  day,  they  should  draw  off  from  the 
battle  when  he  gave  the  word.  Late  at  night  when  all  the 
camp,  excepting  the  sentinels  and  guards,  were  buried  in 
sleep,  a  light  suddenly  illumined  the  heavens,  and  a  great  ser- 
oent  was  seen  in  the  air  wounded  and  covered  with  blood, 


326  CHRONICLE  OF  TERN  AN  GONZALEZ. 

and  vomiting  flames,  and  making  a  loud  hissing  that  awakened 
all  the  soldiers.  They  rushed  out  of  their  tents,  and  ran  hither 
and  thither  running  against  each  other  in  their  affright.  Count 
Fernan  Gonzalez  was  awakened  by  their  outcries,  but  before 
he  came  forth  the  serpent  had  disappeared.  He  rebuked  the 
terrors  of  his  people,  representing  to  them  that  the  Moors 
were  great  necromancers,  and  by  their  arts  could  raise  devils 
to  their  aid ;  and  that  some  Moorish  astrologer  had  doubtless 
raised  this  spectrum  to  alarm  them  ;  but  he  bade  them  be  of 
good  heart,  since  they  had  San  lago  on  their  side,  and  might 
set  Moor,  astrologer,  and  devil  at  defiance. 

In  the  first  day's  fight  Don  Fernan  fought  hand  to  hand 
with  a  powerful  Moor,  who  had  desired  to  try  his  prowess  with 
him.  It  was  an  obstinate  contest,  in  which  the  Moor  was 
slain  ;  but  the  count  so  badly  wounded  that  he  fell  to  the  earth, 
and  had  not  his  men  surrounded  and  defended  him,  he  would 
have  been  slain  or  captured.  The  battle  lasted  all  day  long, 
and  Gustios  Gonzalez  and  his  kindred  warriors  showed  prodi 
gies  of  valor.  Don  Fernan,  having  had  his  wounds  stanched, 
remounted  his  horse  and  galloped  about,  giving  courage  to 
his  men ;  but  he  was  covered  with  dust  and  blood,  and  so 
hoarse  that  he  could  no  longer  be  heard.  The  sun  went  down, 
the  Moors  kept  on  fighting,  confiding  in  their  great  numbers. 
The  count,  seeing  the  night  approaching,  ordered  the  trumpets 
to  be  sounded,  and  collecting  his  troops  made  one  general 
charge  on  the  Moors  and  drove  them  from  the  field.  He  then 

o 

drew  off  his  men  to  their  tents,  where  the  weary  troops 
found  refreshment  and  repose,  though  they  slept  all  night 
upon  their  arms. 

On  the  second  day  the  count  rose  before  the  dawn,  and 
having  attended  mass  like  a  good  Christian,  attended  next  to 


CHRONICLE  OF  FEBNAN  GONZALEZ.  327 

his  horses  like  a  good  cavalier,  seeing  with  his  own  eyes  that 
they  were  well  fed  and  groomed  and  prepared  for  the  field. 
The  battle  this  day  was  obstinate  as  the  day  before,  with 
great  valor  and  loss  on  either  side. 

On  the  third  day  the  count  led  forth  his  forces  at  an  early 
hour,  raising  his  silver  standard  of  the  cross,  and  praying 
devoutly  for  aid.  Then  lowering  their  lances,  the  Castilians 
shouted  San  lago  !  San  lago !  and  rushed  to  the  attack. 

Don  Gustios  Gonzalo  de  Salas,  the  leader  of  one  of  the 
divisions,  made  a  lane  into  the  centre  of  the  Moorish  host, 
dealing  death  on  either  side.  He  was  met  by  a  Moorish  cava 
lier  of  powerful  frame.  Covering  themselves  with  their  shields, 
they  attacked  each  other  with  great  fury  ;  but  the  days  of 
Gustios  Gonzalo  were  numbered,  and  the  Moor  slew  him,  and 
with  him  fell  a  nephew  of  Count  Fernan,  and  many  of  his 
principal  cavaliers. 

Count  Fernan  Gonzalez  encountered  the  Moor  who  had 
just  slain  his  friend.  The  infidel  would  have  avoided  him, 
having  heard  that  never  man  escaped  alive  from  a  conflict 
with  him ;  but  the  count  gave  him  a  furious  thrust  with  his 
lance  which  stretched  him  dead  upon  the  field. 

The  Moors,  however,  continued  to  press  the  count  sorely, 
and  their  numbers  threatened  to  overwhelm  him.  Then  he 
put  up  a  prayer  for  the  aid  promised  in  his  vision,  and  of  a 
sudden  the  Apostle  San  lago  appeared,  with  a  great  and  shining 
company  of  angels  in  white,  bearing  the  device  of  a  red  cross, 
and  all  rushing  upon  the  Moors.  The  Moors  were  dismayed 
at  the  sight  of  this  reinforcement  to  the  enemy.  The  Chris 
tians,  on  the  other  hand,  recovered  their  forces,  knowing  the 
Apostle  San  lago  to  be  at  hand.  They  charged  the  Moors 
with  new  vigor  and  put  them  to  flight,  and  pursued  them  for 


328          CHRONICLE  OF  FERN  AN  GONZALEZ. 

two  days,  killing  and  making  captive.  They  then  returned 
and  gathered  together  the  bodies  of  the  Christians  who  had 
been  slain,  and  buried  them  in  the  chapel  of  San  Pedro  of 
Orlanza  and  in  other  hermitages.  The  bodies  of  the  Moors 
were  piled  up  and  covered  with  earth,  forming  a  mound  which 
is  still  to  be  seen  on  the  field  of  battle. 

Some  have  ascribed  to  the  signal  worn  in  this  battle  by  the 
celestial  warriors  the  origin  of  the. Cross  of  Calatrava. 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ.  329 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE  COUNT  IMPRISONED  BY  THE  KING  OF  LEON. THE  COUN 
TESS  CONCERTS  HIS  ESCAPE.  —  LEON  AND  CASTILE  UNITED 
BY  THE  MARRIAGE  OF  THE  PRINCE  ORDONO  WITH  URACCA, 
THE  DAUGHTER  OF  THE  COUNT  BY  HIS  FIRST  WIFE. 

NOT  long  after  this  most  renowned  and  marvellous  battle, 
a  Moorish  captain  named  Aceyfa  became  a  vassal  of  the 
Count  Don  Fernan.  Under  his  protection,  and  that  of  a 
rich  and  powerful  Castilian  cavalier  named  Diego  Munon,  he 
rebuilt  Salamanca  and  Ledesma,  and  several  places  on  the 
river  Tormes,  which  had  been  desolated  and  deserted  in  times 
past. 

Ramiro  the  Second,  who  was  at  this  time  King  of  Leon,  was 
alarmed  at  seeing  a  strong  line  of  Moorish  fortresses  erected 
along  the  borders  of  his  territories,  and  took  the  field  with 
an  army  to  drive  the  Moor  Aceyfa  from  the  land.  The 
proud  spirit  of  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez  was  aroused  at  this 
attack  upon  his  Moorish  vassal,  which  he  considered  an  indig 
nity  offered  to  himself;  so  being  seconded  by  Don  Diego 
Munon,  he  marched  forth  with  his  chivalry  to  protect  the 
Moor.  In  the  present  instance  he  had  trusted  to  his  own 
head,  and  had  neglected  to  seek  advice  of  saint  or  herrnit ;  so 
his  army  was  defeated  by  King  Ramiro,  and  himself  and  Don 
Diego  Munon  taken  prisoner.  The  latter  was  sent  in  chains 
to  the  castle  of  Gordon  ;  but  the  count  was  carried  to  Leon, 
15* 


330          CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ. 

where  he  was  confined  in  a  tower  of  the  wall,  which  to  this 
day  is  pointed  out  as  his  prison.* 

All  Castile  was  thrown  into  grief  and  consternation  by  this 
event,  and  lamentations  were  heard  throughout  the  land,  as 
though  the  count  had  been  dead.  The  countess,  however, 
did  not  waste  time  in  tears,  for  she  was  a  lady  of  most  valiant 
spirit.  She  forthwith  assembled  five  hundred  cavaliers,  chosen 
men  of  tried  loyalty  and  devotion  to  the  count.  They  met 
in  the  chapel  of  the  palace,  and  took  an  oath  upon  the  Holy 
Evangelists  to  follow  the  countess  through  all  difficulties  and 
dangers,  and  to  obey  implicitly  all  her  commands  for  the  rescue 
of  their  lord.  With  this  band  the  countess  departed  secretly 
at  nightfall,  and  travelled  rapidly  until  morning,  when  they 
left  the  roads,  and  took  to  the  mountains,  lest  their  march 
should  be  discovered.  Arrived  near  to  Leon,  she  halted  her 
band  in  a  thick  wood  in  the  mountain  of  Samosa  where  she 
ordered  them  to  remain  in  secrecy.  Then  clothing  herself 
as  a  pilgrim  with  her  staff  and  pannier,  she  sent  word  to  King 
Ramiro  that  she  was  on  a  pilgrimage  to  San  lago,  and  entreated 
that  she  might  have  permission  to  visit  her  husband  in  his 
prison.  King  Ramiro  not  merely  granted  her  request,  but 
sallied  forth  above  a  league  from  the  city  with  a  great  retinue 
to  do  her  honor.  So  the  countess  entered  a  second  time  the 
prison  where  the  count  lay  in  chains,  and  stood  before  him  as 
his  protecting  angel.  At  sight  of  him  in  this  miserable  and 
dishonored  state,  however,  the  valor  of  spirit  which  had  hitherto 
sustained  her  gave  way,  and  tears  flowed  from  her  eyes.  The 
count  received  her  joyfully,  and  reproached  her  with  her  tears ; 

*  In  the  Cronica  General  de  Espana,  this  imprisonment  is  said  to  have  been 
hy  King  Sancho  the  Fat;  but  the  cautious  Agapida  goes  according  to  his  favor 
ite  Sandoval  in  attributing  it  to  King  Ramiro,  and  in  so  doing  he  is  supported 
by  the  Chronicle  of  Bleda.  L.  3,  c.  19. 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ.  331 

for  it  becomes  us,  said  he,  to  submit  to  what  is  imposed  upon 
us  by  God. 

The  countess  now  sent  to  entreat  the  king  that  while  she 
remained  with  the  count  his  chains  should  be  taken  off.  The 
king  again  granted  her  request ;  and  the  count  was  freed 
from  his  irons  and  an  excellent  bed  prepared  in  his  prison. 

The  countess  remained  with  him  all  night  and  concerted 
his  escape.  Before  it  was  daylight  she  gave  him  her  pil 
grim's  dress  and  staff,  and  the  count  went  forth  from  the  cham 
ber  disguised  as  his  wife.  The  porter  at  the  outer  portal, 
thinking  it  to  be  the  countess,  would  have  waited  for  orders 
from  the  king ;  but  the  count,  in  a  feigned  voice,  entreated  not 
to  be  detained,  lest  he  should  not  be  able  to  perform  his  pil 
grimage.  The  porter,  mistrusting  no  deceit,  opened  the  door. 
The  count  issued  forth,  repaired  to  a  place  pointed  out  by 
the  countess,  where  the  two  cavaliers  awaited  him  with  a  fleet 
horse.  They  all  sallied  quietly  forth  from  the  city  at  the 
opening  of  the  gates,  until  they  found  themselves  clear  of 
the  walls,  when  they  put  spurs  to  their  horses  and  made  the 
best  of  their  way  to  the  mountain  of  Samosa.  Here  the 
count  was  received  with  shouts  of  joy  by  the  cavaliers  whom 
the  countess  had  left  there  in  concealment. 

As  the  day  advanced  the  keeper  of  the  prison  entered  the 
apartment  of  Don  Fernan,  but  was  astonished  to  find  there 
the  beautiful  countess  in  place  of  her  warrior  husband.  He 
conducted  her  before  the  king,  accusing  her  of  the  fraud  by 
which  she  had  effected  the  escape  of  the  count.  King  Ramiro 
was  greatly  incensed,  and  he  demanded  of  the  countess  how 
she  dared  do  such  an  act.  I  dared,  replied  she,  because  I 
saw  my  husband  in  misery,  and  felt  it  my  duty  to  relieve  him  ; 
and  I  dared  because  I  was  the  daughter  of  a  king,  and  the 


332  CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ. 

wife  of  a  distinguished  cavalier ;  as  such  I  trust  to  your  chiv 
alry  to  treat  me." 

The  king  was  charmed  with  her  intrepidity.  "  Senora,"  said 
he,  "  you  have  acted  well  and  like  a  noble  lady,  and  it  will  re 
dound  to  your  laud  and  honor."  So  he  commanded  that  she 
should  be  conducted  to  her  husband  in  a  manner  befitting  a 
lady  of  high  and  noble  rank ;  and  the  count  was  overjoyed 
to  receive  her  in  safety,  and  they  returned  to  their  dominions 
and  entered  Burgos  at  the  head  of  their  train  of  cavaliers, 
amidst  the  transports  and  acclamations  of  their  people.  And 
King  Ramiro  sought  the  amity  of  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez,  and 
proposed  that  they  should  unite  their  houses  by  some  matri 
monial  alliance  which  should  serve  as  a  bond  of  mutual  secu 
rity.  The  count  gladly  listened  to  his  proposals.  He  had 
a  fair  daughter  named  Urraca,  by  his  first  wife,  who  was  now 
arrived  at  a  marriageable  age  ;  so  it  was  agreed  that  nuptials 
should  be  solemnized  between  her  and  the  Prince  Orclono, 
son  of  King  Ramiro  ;  and  all  Leon  and  Castile  rejoiced  at 
this  union,  which  promised  tranquillity  to  the  land. 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ.  333 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

MOORISH    INCURSION    INTO    CASTILE. BATTLE    OF    SAN    ESTE- 

VAN. OF  PASCUAL  VIVAS  AND  THE  MIRACLE  THAT  BEFELL 

HIM. DEATH    OF    ORDOtfO    III. 

FOR  several  succeeding  years  of  the  career  of  this  most 
redoubtable  cavalier,  the  most  edifying  and  praiseworthy  traces 
which  remain,  says  Fray  Antonio  Agapida,  are  to  be  found  in 
the  archives  of  various  monasteries,  consisting  of  memorials 
of  pious  gifts  and  endowments  made  by  himself  and  his  countess, 
Dona  Sancha. 

In  the  process  of  time  King  Ramiro  died,  and  was  suc 
ceeded  by  his  son  Ordono  III.,  the  same  who  had  married 
Urraca,  the  daughter  of  Count  Fernan.  He  was  surnamed 
the  Fierce,  either  from  his  savage  temper  or  savage  aspect. 
He  had  a  step-brother  named  Don  Sancho,  nephew,  by  the 
mother's  side,  of  King  Garcia  of  Navarre,  surnamed  the 
Trembler.  This  Don  Sancho  rose  in  arms  against  Ordofio  at 
the  very  outset  of  his  reign,  seeking  to  deprive  him  of  his 
crown.  He  applied  for  assistance  to  his  uncle  Garcia  and  to 
Count  Fenian  Gonzalez,  and  it  is  said  both  favored  his  pre 
tensions.  Nay,  the  count  soon  appeared  in  the  field  in  com 
pany  with  King  Garcia  the  Trembler,  in  support  of  Prince 
Sancho.  It  may  seem  strange  that  he  should  take  up  arms 
against  his  own  son-in-law ;  and  so  it  certainly  appeared  to 
Ordono  III.,  for  he  was  so  incensed  against  the  count  that  he 


334          CHRONICLE  OF  KKRNAN  GONZALEZ. 

repudiated  his  wife  Urraca  and  sent  her  back  to  her  father, 
telling  him  that  since  he  would  not  acknowledge  him  as  king, 
he  should  not  have  him  for  son-in-law. 

The  kingdom  now  became  a  prey  to  civil  wars ;  the  restless 
part  of  the  subjects  of  King  Ordono  rose  in  rebellion,  and 
everything  was  in  confusion.  King  Ordono  succeeded,  how 
ever,  in  quelling  the  rebellion,  and  defended  himself  so  ably 
against  King  Garcia  and  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez,  that  they 
returned  home  without  effecting  their  object. 

About  this  time,  say  the  records  of  Compostello,  the  sinful 
dissensions  of  the  Christians  brought  on  them  a  visible  and 
awful  scourge  from  Heaven.  A  great  flame,  or,  as  it  were,  a 
cloud  of  fire,  passed  throughout  the  land,  burning  towns, 
destroying  men  and  beasts,  and  spreading  horror  and  devasta 
tion  even  over  the  sea.  It  passed  over  Zamora,  consuming  a 
great  part  of  the  place  ;  it  scorched  Castro  Xerez  likewise,  and 
Brebiesco  and  Pan  Corvo  in  its  progress,  and  in  Burgos  one 
hundred  houses  were  consumed. 

"  These,"  says  the  worthy  Agapida,  •'  were  fiery  tokens  of  the 
displeasure  of  Heaven  at  the  sinful  conduct  of  the  Christians  in 
warring  upon  each  other,  instead  of  joining  their  arms  like 
brethren  in  the  righteous  endeavor  to  extirpate  the  vile  sect 
of  Mahomet." 

While  the  Christians  were  thus  fighting  among  themselves, 
the  Moors,  taking  advantage  of  their  discord,  came  with  a 
great  army,  and  made  an  incursion  into  Castile  as  far  as  Bur 
gos.  King  Ordono  and  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez,  alarmed  at 
the  common  danger,  came  to  a  reconciliation,  and  took  arms 
together  against  the  Moors  ;  though  it  does  not  appear  that  the 
king  received  again  his  repudiated  wife  Urraca.  These  con 
federate  princes  gave  the  Moors  a  great  battle  near  to  San 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ.          835 

Estevan.  "  This  battle,"  says  Fray  Antonio  Agapida,  "  is  chiefly 
memorable  for  a  miracle  which  occurred  there,"  and  which  is 
recorded  by  the  good  friar  with  an  unction  and  perfect  cre 
dence  worthy  of  a  monkish  chronicler. 

The  Christians  were  encastelled  at  San  Estevan  de  Gor- 
niaz,  which  is  near  the  banks  of  the  Douro.  The  Moors 
had  possession  of  the  fortress  of  Gormaz,  about  a  league 
further  up  the  river  on  a  lofty  and  rocky  height. 

The  battle  commenced  at  the  dawn  of  day.  Count  Fernan 
Gonzalez,  however,  before  taking  the  field,  repaired  with  his 
principal  cavaliers  to  the  church,  to  attend  the  first  morning's 
mass.  Now,  at  this  time,  there  was  in  the  service  of  the  count 
a  brave  cavalier  named  Pascual  Vivas,  who  was  as  pious  as  he 
was  brave,  and  would  pray  with  as  much  fervor  and  obstinacy 
as  he  would  fight.  This  cavalier  made  it  a  religious  rule  with 
himself,  or  rather  had  made  a  solemn  vow,  that,  whenever  he 
entered  a  church  in  the  morning,  he  would  on  no  account  leave 
it  until  all  the  masses  were  finished. 

On  the  present  occasion  the  firmness  of  this  brave  but  pious 
cavalier  was  put  to  a  severe  proof.  When  the  first  mass  was 
finished,  the  count  and  his  cavaliers  rose  and  sallied  from  the 
church  in  clanking  armor,  and  soon  after  the  sound  of  trum 
pet  and  quick  tramp  of  steed  told  that  they  were  off  to  the 
encounter.  Pascual  Vivas,  however,  remained  kneeling  all  in 
armor  before  the  altar,  waiting,  according  to  custom,  until  all 
the  masses  should  be  finished.  The  masses  that  morning  were 
numerous,  and  hour  after  hour  passed  away  ;  yet  still  the  cav 
alier  remained  kneeling  all  in  armor,  with  weapon  in  hand,  yet 
so  zealous  in  his  devotion  that  he  never  turned  his  head. 

All  this  while  the  esquire  of  the  cavalier  was  at  the  door  of 
the  church,  holding  his  war-horse,  and  the  esquire  beheld  with 


336  CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ. 

surprise  the  count  and  his  warriors  depart,  while  his  lord 
remained  in  the  chapel ;  and,  from  the  height  on  which  the 
chapel  stood,  he  could  see  the  Christian  host  encounter  the 
Moors  at  the  ford  of  the  river,  and  could  hear  the  distant 
sound  of  trumpets  and  din  of  battle  ;  and  at  the  sound  the 
war-horse  pricked  his  ears  and  snuffed  the  air  and  pawed  the 
earth,  and  showed  all  the  eagerness  of  a  noble  steed  to  be 
among  the  armed  men,  but  still  Pascual  Vivas  came  not  out  of 
the  chapel.  The  esquire  was  wroth,  and  blushed  for  his  lord, 
for  he  thought  it  was  through  cowardice  and  not  piety  that  he 
remained  in  the  chapel  while  his  comrades  were  fighting  in  the 
field. 

At  length  the  masses  were  finished,  and  Pascual  Vivas  was 
about  to  sally  forth  when  horsemen  came  riding  up  the  hill 
with  shouts  of  victory,  for  the  battle  was  over  and  the  Moors 
completely  vanquished. 

When  Pascual  Vivas  heard  this  he  was  so  troubled  in  mind 
that  he  dared  not  leave  the  chapel  nor  come  into  the  presence 
of  the  count,  for  he  said  to  himself,  "  Surely  I  shall  be  looked 
upon  as  a  recreant  knight,  who  have  hidden  myself  in  the  hour 
of  danger."  Shortly,  however,  came  some  of  his  fellow-cava 
liers,  summoning  him  to  the  presence  of  the  count ;  and  as  he 
went  with  a  beating  heart,  they  lauded  him  for  the  valor  he 
had  displayed  and  the  great  services  he  had  rendered,  saying 
that  to  the  prowess  of  his  arm  they  owed  the  victory.  The 
good  knight,  imagining  they  were  scoffing  at  him,  felt  still 
more  cast  down  in  spirit,  and  entered  the  presence  of  the  count 
covered  with  confusion.  Here  again  he  was  received  with 
praises  and  caresses,  at  which  he  was  greatly  astonished,  but 
still  thought  it  all  done  in  mockery.  When  the  truth  came  to 
be  known,  however,  all  present  were  filled  with  wonder,  for  it 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ.  337 

appeared  as  if  this  cavalier  had  been,  at  the  same  moment,  in 
the  chapel  and  in  the  field ;  for  while  he  remained  on  his  knees 
before  the  altar,  with  his  steed  pawing  the  earth  at  the  door,  a 
warrior  exactly  resembling  him,  with  the  same  arms,  device, 
and  steed,  had  appeared  in  the  hottest  of  the  fight,  penetrating 
and  overthrowing  whole  squadrons  of  Moors  ;  that  he  had  cut 
his  way  to  the  standard  of  the  enemy,  killed  the  standard- 
bearer,  and  carried  off  the  banner  in  triumph  ;  that  his  pour- 
point  and  coat  of  mail  were  cut  to  pieces,  and  his  horse  covered 
with  wounds;  yet  still  he  fought  on,  and  through  his  valor 
chiefly  the  victory  was  obtained. 

What  more  moved  astonishment  was  that  for  every  wound 
received  by  the  warrior  and  his  steed  in  the  field,  there  ap 
peared  marks  on  the  pourpoint  and  coat  of  mail  and  upon  the 
steed  of  Pascual  Vivas,  so  that  he  had  the  semblance  of  hav 
ing  been  in  the  severest  press  of  the  battle. 

The  matter  was  now  readily  explained  by  the  worthy  friars 
who  followed  the  armies  in  those  days,  and  who  were  skilful  in 
expounding  the  miracles  daily  occurring  in  those  holy  wars. 
A  miraculous  intervention  had  been  vouchsafed  to  Pascual 
Vivas.  That  his  piety  in  remaining  at  his  prayers  might  not 
put  him  to  shame  before  sinful  men,  an  angel  bearing  his  form 
and  semblance  had  taken  his  place  in  battle,  and  fought  while 
he  prayed. 

The  matter  being  thus  explained,  all  present  were  filled  with 
pious  admiration,  and  Pascual  Vivas,  if  he  ceased  to  be  ex 
tolled  as  a  warrior,  came  near  being  canonized  as  a  saint.* 

*  Exactly  the  same  kind  of  miracle  is  recorded  as  happening  in  the  same  place 
to  a  cavalier  of  the  name  of  Don  Fernan  Antolenez,  in  the  service  of  the  Count 
Garcia  Fernandez.  Fray  Antonio  Agapida  has  no  doubt  that  the  same  miracle 
did  actually  happen  to  both  cavaliers;  "for  in  those  days,"  says  he,  "there  was 
such  a  demand  for  miracles  that  the  same  had  frequently  to  be  repeated; "  wit- 


338          CHRONICLE  OP  FERNAN  GONZALEZ. 

King  Ordono  III.  did  not  long  survive  this  battle.  Scarce 
had  he  arrived  at  Zamora  on  his  way  homeward,  when  he  was 
seized  with  a  mortal  malady  of  which  he  died.  He  was  suc 
ceeded  by  his  brother  Don  Sancho,  the  same  who  had  formerly 
endeavored  to  dispossess  him  of  his  throne. 

ness  the  repeated  appearance  of  Santiago  in  precisely  the  same  manner,  to  save 
Christian  armies  from  imminent  danger  of  defeat,  and  achieve  wonderful  victo 
ries  over  the  infidels,  as  we  find  recorded  throughout  the  Spanish  chronicles. 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ.          339 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

KING    SANCHO     THE    FAT. OF     THE     HOMAGE     HE     EXACTED 

FROM  COUNT  FERNAN  GONZALEZ,  AND  OF  THE  STRANGE 
BARGAIN  THAT  HE  MADE  WITH  HIM  FOR  THE  PURCHASE 
OF  HIS  HORSE  AND  FALCON. 

KING  SANCHO  I.,  on  ascending  the  throne,  held  a  cortes  at 
Leon,  where  all  the  great  men  of  the  kingdom  and  the  princes 
who  owed  allegiance  to  him  were  expected  to  attend  and  pay 
homage.  As  the  court  of  Leon  was  excessively  tenacious  of 
its  claim  to  sovereignty  over  Castile,  the  absence  of  Count  Fer- 
nan  Gonzalez  was  noticed  with  great  displeasure  by  the  king, 
who  sent  missives  to  him  commanding  his  attendance.  The 
count  being  proud  of  heart,  and  standing  much  upon  the  in 
dependence  of  Castile,  was  unwilling  to  kiss  the  hand  of  any 
one  in  token  of  vassalage.  He  was  at  length  induced  to  stifle 
his  repugnance  and  repair  to  the  court,  but  he  went  in  almost 
regal  style  and  with  a  splendid  retinue,  more  like  a  sovereign 
making  a  progress  through  his  dominions. 

As  he  approached  the  city  of  Leon,  King  Sancho  came  forth 
in  great  state  to  receive  him,  and  they  met  apparently  as 
friends,  but  there  was  enmity  against  each  other  in  their  hearts. 

The  rich  and  gallant  array  with  which  Count  Fernan  made 
his  entry  in  Leon  was  the  theme  of  every  tongue ;  but  nothing 
attracted  more  notice  than  a  falcon,  thoroughly  trained,  which 
he  carried  on  his  hand,  and  an  Arabian  horse  of  wonderful 


340          CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ. 

beauty,  which  he  had  gained  in  his  wars  with  the  Moors.  King 
Sancho  was  seized  with  a  vehement  desire  to  possess  this  horse 
and  falcon,  and  offered  to  purchase  them  of  the  count.  Don 
Fernan  haughtily  declined  to  enter  into  traffic ;  but  offered 
them  to  the  monarch  as  a  gift.  The  king  was  equally  punc 
tilious  in  refusing  to  accept  a  favor  ;  but  as  monarchs  do  not 
easily  forego  anything  on  which  they  have  set  their  hearts, 
it  became  evident  to  Count  Fernan  that  it  was  necessary, 
for  the  sake  of  peace,  to  part  with  his  horse  and  falcon. 
To  save  his  dignity,  however,  he  asked  a  price  correspond 
ent  to  his  rank ;  for  it  was  beneath  a  cavalier,  he  said,  to  sell 
his  things  cheap,  like  a  mean  man.  He  demanded,  therefore, 
one  thousand  marks  of  silver  for  the  horse  and  falcon,  —  to  be 
paid  on  a  stipulated  day ;  if  not  paid  on  that  day  the  price  to  be 
doubled  on  the  next,  and  on  each  day's  further  delay  the  price 
should  in  like  manner  be  doubled.  To  these  terms  the  king 
gladly  consented,  and  the  terms  were  specified  in  a  written 
agreement,  which  was  duly  signed  and  witnessed.  The  king 
thus  gained  the  horse  and  falcon,  but  it  will  be  hereinafter 
shown  that  this  indulgence  of  his  fancy  cost  him  dear. 

This  eager  desire  for  an  Arabian  steed  appears  the  more 
singular  in  Sancho  the  First,  from  his  being  so  corpulent  that  he 
coiild  not  sit  on  horseback.  Hence  he  is  commonly  known  in 
history  by  the  appellation  of  King  Sancho  the  Fat.  His  un 
wieldy  bulk,  also,  may  be  one  reason  why  he  soon  lost  the  favor 
of  his  warrior  subjects,  who  looked  upon  him  as  a  mere  trench 
erman  and  bed-presser,  and  not  fitted  to  command  men  who 
lived  in  the  saddle,  and  had  rather  fight  than  either  eat  or 
sleep. 

King  Sancho  saw  that  he  might  soon  have  hard  fighting  to 
maintain  his  throne  ;  and  how  could  he  figure  as  a  warrior  who 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ.  341 

could  not  mount  on  horseback.  In  his  anxiety  he  repaired  to 
his  uncle  Garcia,  King  of  Navarre,  surnamed  the  Trembler, 
who  was  an  exceeding  meagre  man,  and  asked  counsel  of  him 
what  he  should  do  to  cure  himself  of  this  troublesome  corpu 
lency.  Garcia  the  Trembler  was  totally  at  a  loss  for  a  recipe, 
his  own  leanness  being  a  gift  of  Nature  ;  he  advised  him,  how 
ever,  to  repair  to  Abderahman,  the  Miramamolin  of  Spain  and 
King  of  Cordova,  with  whom  he  was  happily  at  peace,  and  con 
sult  with  him,  and  seek  advice  of  the  Arabian  physicians  resi 
dent  at  Cordova,  —  the  Moors  being  generally  a  spare  and  active 
people,  and  the  Arabian  physicians  skilful  above  all  others  in 
the  treatment  of  diseases. 

King  Sancho  the  Fat,  therefore,  sent  amicable  messages  be 
forehand  to  the  Moorish  miramamolin,  and  followed  them  as  fast 
as  his  corpulency  would  permit ;  and  he  was  well  received  by 
the  Moorish  sovereign,  and  remained  for  a  long  time  at  Cor 
dova,  diligently  employed  in  decreasing  his  rotundity. 

While  the  corpulent  king  was  thus  growing  leaner,  discontent 
broke  out  among  his  subjects  at  home  ;  and,  Count  Fernan  Gon 
zalez  taking  advantage  of  it,  stirred  up  an  insurrection,  and 
placed  upon  the  throne  of  Leon  Ordono  the  Fourth,  surnamed 
the  Bad,  who  was  a  kinsman  of  the  late  King  Ordono  III.,  and 
he  moreover  gave  him  his  daughter  for  wife,  —  his  daughter 
Urraca,  the  repudiated  wife  of  the  late  king. 

If  the  good  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez  supposed  he  had  forti 
fied  himself  by  this  alliance,  and  that  his  daughter  was  now 
fixed  for  the  second  time,  and  more  firmly  than  ever,  on  the 
throne  of  Leon,  he  was  grievously  deceived  ;  for  Sancho  I.  re 
turned  from  Cordova  at  the  head  of  a  powerful  host  of  Moors, 
and  was  no  longer  to  be  called  the  Fat,  for  he  had  so  well  suc 
ceeded  under  the  regimen  prescribed  by  the  miramamolin  and 


342          CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ. 

his  Arabian  physicians,  that  he  could  vault  into  the  saddle  with 
merely  putting  his  hand  upon  the  pommel. 

Ordono  IV.  was  a  man  of  puny  heart ;  no  sooner  did  he  hear 
of  the  approach  of  King  Sancho,  and  of  his  marvellous  lean 
ness  and  agility,  than  he  was  seized  with  terror,  and,  aban 
doning  his  throne  and  his  twice-repudiated  spouse  Urraca,  he 
made  for  the  mountains  of  Asturias,  or,  as  others  assert,  was 
overtaken  by  the  Moors  and  killed  with  lances. 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ.          343 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

FURTHER  OF  THE  HORSE  AND  FALCON. 

KING  SA.NCHO  I.,  having  reestablished  himself  on  the  throne, 
and  recovered  the  good-will  of  his  subjects  by  his  leanness  and 
horsemanship,  sent  a  stern  message  to  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez 
to  come  to  his  cortes,  or  resign  his  countship.  The  count  was 
exceedingly  indignant  at  this  order,  and  feared,  moreover,  that 
some  indignity  or  injury  would  be  offered  him  should  he  repair 
to  Leon.  He  made  the  message  known  to  his  principal  cav 
aliers,  and  requested  their  advice.  Most  of  them  were  of 
opinion  that  he  should  not  go  to  the  cortes.  Don  Fernan 
declared,  however,  that  he  would  not  act  disloyally  in  omitting 
to  do  that  which  the  Counts  of  Castile  had  always  performed, 
although  he  felt  that  he  incurred  the  risk  of  death  or  imprison 
ment.  Leaving  his  son,  Garcia  Fernandez,  therefore,  in  charge 
of  his  councillors,  he  departed  for  Leon  with  only  seven 
cavaliers. 

As  he  approached  the  gates  of  that  city,  no  one  came  forth 
to  greet  him,  as  had  always  been  the  custom.  This  he  con 
sidered  an  evil  sign.  Presenting  himself  before  the  king,  he 
would  have  kissed  his  hand,  but  the  monarch  withheld  it.  He 
charged  the  count  with  being  vainglorious  and  disloyal ;  with 
having  absented  himself  from  the  cortes  and  conspired  against 
his  throne ;  —  for  all  which  he  should  make  atonement,  and 
should  give  hostages  or  pledges  for  his  good  faith  before  he 
left  the  court 


344          CHRONICLE  OF  PERNAN  GONZALEZ. 

The  count  in  reply  accounted  for  his  absenting  himself  from 
the  cortes  by  the  perfidious  treatment  he  had  formerly  expe 
rienced  at  Leon.  As  to  any  grievances  the  king  might  have 
to  complain  of,  he  stood  ready  to  redress  them,  provided  the 
king  would  make  good  his  own  written  engagement,  signed 
with  his  own  hand  and  sealed  with  his  own  seal,  to  pay  for  the 
horse  and  falcon  which  he  had  purchased  of  the  count  on  his 
former  visit  to  Leon.  Three  years  had  now  elapsed  since  the 
day  appointed  for  the  payment,  and  -in  the  mean  time  the 
price  had  gone  on  daily  doubling,  according  to  stipulation. 

They  parted  mutually  indignant ;  and,  after  the  count  had 
retired  to  his  quarters,  the  king,  piqued  to  maintain  his  royal 
word,  summoned  his  major-domo,  and  ordered  him  to  take  a 
large  amount  of  treasure  and  carry  it  to  the  Count  of  Castile 
in  payment  of  his  demand.  So  the  major-domo  repaired  to 
the  count  with  a  great  sack  of  money  to  settle  with  him  for  the 
horse  and  hawk ;  but  when  he  came  to  cast  up  the  account, 
and  double  it  each  day  that  had  intervened  since  the  appointed 
day  of  payment,  the  major-domo,  though  an  expert  man  at 
figures,  was  totally  confounded,  and,  returning  to  the  king, 
assured  him  that  all  the  money  in  the  world  would  not  suffice 
to  pay  the  debt.  King  Sancho  was  totally  at  a  loss  how  to 
keep  his  word  and  pay  off  a  debt  which  was  more  than  enough 
to  ruin  him.  Grievously  did  he  repent  his  first  experience  in 
traffic,  and  found  that  it  is  not  safe  even  for  a  monarch  to  trade 
in  horses. 

In  the  mean  time  the  count  was  suffered  to  return  to  Castile ; 
but  he  did  not  let  the  matter  rest  here,  for,  being  sorely  in 
censed  at  the  indignities  he  had  experienced,  he  sent  missives 
to  King  Sancho  urging  his  demand  of  payment  for  the  horse 
and  falcon,  —  menacing  otherwise  to  make  seizures  by  way  of 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ.          345 

indemnification,  Eeceiving  no  satisfactory  reply,  he  made  a 
foray  into  the  kingdom  of  Leon,  and  brought  off  great  spoil 
of  sheep  and  cattle. 

King  Sancho  now  saw  that  the  count  was  too  bold  and  ur 
gent  a  creditor  to  be  trifled  with.  In  his  perplexity  he  assem 
bled  the  estates  of  his  kingdom,  and  consulted  them  upon  this 
momentous  affair.  His  counsellors,  like  himself,  were  griev 
ously  perplexed  between  the  sanctity  of  the  royal  word  and  the 
enormity  of  the  debt.  After  much  deliberation  they  suggested 
a  compromise,  —  the  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez  to  relinquish  the 
debt,  and  in  lieu  thereof  to  be  released  from  his  vassalage. 

The  count  agreed  right  gladly  to  this  compromise,  being 
thus  relieved  from  all  tribute  and  imposition,  and  from  the 
necessity  of  kissing  the  hand  of  any  man  in  the  world  as  his 
sovereign.  Thus  did  King  Sancho  pay  with  the  sovereignty 
of  Castile  for  a  horse  and  falcon,  and  thus  were  the  Castilians 
relieved,  by  a  skilful  bargain  in  horse-dealing,  from  all  subjec 
tion  to  the  kingdom  of  Leon.* 

*  Cronica  de  Alonzo  el  Sabio,  p.  3,  c.  19. 


16 


346  CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE    LAST   CAMPAIGN    OF    COUNT   FERNAN.  —  HIS   DEATH. 

THE  good  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez  was  now  well  stricken  in 
years.  The  fire  of  youth  was  extinct,  the  pride  and  ambition 
of  manhood  were  over ;  instead  of  erecting  palaces  and  lofty 
castles,  he  began  now  to  turn  his  thoughts  upon  the  grave  and 
to  build  his  last  earthly  habitation,  the  sepulchre. 

Before  erecting  his  own,  he  had  one  built  of  rich  and 
stately  workmanship  for  his  first  wife,  the  object  of  his  early 
love,  and  had  her  remains  conveyed  to  it  and  interred  with 
great  solemnity.  His  own  sepulchre,  according  to  ancient 
promise,  was  prepared  at  the  chapel  and  hermitage  of  San 
Pedro  at  Arlanza,  where  he  had  first  communed  with  the  holy 
Friar  Pelayo.  When  it  was  completed,  he  merely  inscribed 
upon  it  the  word  Obijt,  leaving  the  rest  to  be  supplied  by 
others  after  his  death. 

When  the  Moors  perceived  that  Count  Fernan  Gonzalez, 
once  so  redoubtable  in  arms,  was  old  and  infirm,  and  given 
to  build  tombs  instead  of  castles,  they  thought  it  a  favorable 
time  to  make  an  inroad  into  Castile.  They  passed  the  bor 
der,  therefore,  in  great  numbers,  laying  everything  waste  and 
bearding  the  old  lion  in  his  very  den. 

The  veteran  had  laid  by  sword  and  buckler,  and  had  almost 
given  up  the  world ;  but  the  sound  of  Moorish  drum  and 
trumpet  called  him  back  even  from  the  threshold  of  the  sepul- 


CHRONICLE  OP  FERNAN  GONZALEZ.  347 

chre.  Buckling  on  once  more  his  armor  and  bestriding  his 
war-steed,  he  summoned  around  him  his  Castilian  cavaliers, 
seasoned  like  him  in  a  thousand  battles,  and  accompanied  by 
his  son  Garcia  Fernandez,  who  inherited  all  the  valor  of  his 
father,  issued  forth  to  meet  the  foe ;  followed  by  the  shouts 
and  blessings  of  the  populace,  who  joyed  to  see  him  once 
more  in  arms  and  glowing  with  his  ancient  fire. 

The  Moors  were  retiring  from  an  extensive  ravage,  laden 
with  booty  and  driving  before  them  an  immense  cavalgada, 
when  they  descried  a  squadron  of  cavaliers,  armed  all  in  steel, 
emerging  from  a  great  cloud  of  dust,  and  bearing  aloft  the 
silver  cross,  the  well-known  standard  of  Count  Fernan  Gon 
zalez.  That  veteran  warrior  came  on,  as  usual,  leading  the 
way,  sword  in  hand.  The  very  sight  of  his  standard  had 
struck  dismay  into  the  enemy ;  they  soon  gave  way  before 
one  of  his  vigorous  charges,  nor  did  he  cease  to  pursue  them 
until  they  took  shelter  within  the  very  walls  of  Cordova. 
Here  he  wasted  the  surrounding  country  with  fire  and  sword, 
and  after  thus  braving  the  Moor  in  his  very  capital,  returned 
triumphant  to  Burgos. 

"  Such,"  says  Fray  Antonio  Agapida,  "  was  the  last  campaign 
in  this  life  of  this  most  valorous  cavalier ; "  and  now,  aban 
doning  all  further  deeds  of  mortal  enterprise  in  arms  to  his 
son  Garcia  Fernandez,  he  addressed  all  his  thoughts,  as  he 
said,  to  prepare  for  his  campaign  in  the  skies.  He  still 
talked  as  a  veteran  warrior,  whose  whole  life  had  been  passed 
in  arms,  but  his  talk  was  not  of  earthly  warfare  nor  of  earthly 
kingdoms.  He  spoke  only  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  and 
what  he  must  do  to  make  a  successful  inroad  and  gain  an 
eternal  inheritance  in  that  blessed  country. 

He  was  equally  indefatigable  in  preparing  for  his  spiritual 


348          CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ. 

as  for  his  mortal  campaign.  Instead,  however,  of  mailed  war 
riors  tramping  through  his  courts,  and  the  shrill  neigh  of 
steed  or  clang  of  trumpet  echoing  among  their  walls,  there 
were  seen  holy  priests  and  barefoot  monks  passing  to  and 
fro,  and  the  halls  resounded  with  the  sacred  melody  of  litany 
and  psalm.  So  pleased  was  Heaven  with  the  good  works  of  this 
pious  cavalier,  and  especially  with  rich  donations  to  churches 
and  monasteries  which  he  made  under  the  guidance  of  his 
spiritual  counsellors,  that  we  are  told  it  was  given  to  him  to 
foresee  in  vision  the  day  and  hour  when  he  should  pass  from 
this  weary  life  and  enter  the  mansions  of  eternal  rest. 

Knowing  that  the  time  approached,  he  prepared  for  his  end 
like  a  good  Christian.  He  wrote  to  the  kings  of  Leon  and 
Navarre  in  terms  of  great  humility,  craving  their  pardon  for 
all  past  injuries  and  offences,  and  entreating  them,  for  the 
good  of  Christendom,  to  live  in  peace  and  amity,  and  make 
common  cause  for  the  defence  of  the  faith. 

Ten  days  before  the  time  which  Heaven  had  appointed  for 
his  death  he  sent  for  the  abbot  of  the  chapel  and  convent  of 
Arlanza,  and  bending  his  aged  knees  before  him,  confessed  all 
his  sins.  This  done,  as  in  former  times  he  had  shown  great 
state  and  ceremony  in  his  worldly  pageants,  so  now  he  ar 
ranged  his  last  cavalgada  to  the  grave.  He  prayed  the  abbot 
to  return  to  his  monastery  and  have  his  sepulchre  prepared 
for  his  reception,  and  that  the  abbots  of  St.  Sebastian  and 
Silos  and  Quirce,  with  a  train  of  holy  friars,  might  come  at 
the  appointed  day  for  his  body ;  that  thus,  as  he  commended 
his  soul  to  Heaven  through  the  hands  of  his  confessor,  he 
might,  through  the  hands  of  these  pious  men,  resign  his  body 
to  the  earth. 

When  the  abbot  had  departed,  the  count  desired  to  be  left 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ.          349 

alone  ;  and  clothing  himself  in  a  coarse  friar's  garb,  he  re 
mained  fervent  in  prayer  for  the  forgiveness  of  all  his  sins. 
As  he  had  been  a  valiant  captain  all  his  life  against  the 
enemies  of  the  faith,  so  was  he  in  death  against  the  enemies 
of  the  soul.  He  died  in  the  full  command  of  all  his  faculties, 
making  no  groans  nor  contortions,  but  rendering  up  his  spirit 
with  the  calmness  of  a  heroic  cavalier. 

We  are  told  that  when  he  died  voices  were  heard  from 
heaven  in  testimony  of  his  sanctity,  while  the  tears  and  lamen 
tations  of  all  Spain  proved  how  much  he  was  valued  and  be 
loved  on  earth.  His  remains  were  conveyed,  according  to 
his  request,  to  the  monastery  of  St.  Pedro  de  Arlanzas  by  a 
procession  of  holy  friars  with  solemn  chant  and  dirge.  In 
the  church  of  that  convent  they  still  repose  ;  and  two  paintings 
are  to  be  seen  in  the  convent,  —  one  representing  the  count  val 
iantly  fighting  with  the  Moors,  the  other  conversing  with  St. 
Pelayo  and  St.  Millan,  as  they  appeared  to  him  in  vision  be 
fore  the  battle  of  Hazinas. 

The  cross  which  he  used  as  his  standard  is  still  treasured 
up  in  the  sacristy  of  the  convent.  It  is  of  massive  silver, 
two  ells  in  length,  with  our  Saviour  sculptured  upon  it,  and 
above  the  head,  in  Gothic  letters,  I.  N.  R.  I.  Below  is  Adam 
awaking  from  the  grave,  with  the  words  of  St.  Paul,  "  Awake, 
thou  who  sleepest,  and  arise  from  the  tomb,  for  Christ  shall 
give  thee  life." 

This  holy  cross  still  has  the  form  at  the  lower  end  by  which 
the  standard-bearer  rested  it  in  the  pommel  of  his  saddle. 

"  Inestimable,"  adds  Fray  Antonio  Agapida,  "  are  the  relics 
and  remains  of  saints  and  sainted  warriors."  In  after-times, 
when  Fernando  the  Third,  surnamed  the  Saint,  went  to  the 
conquest  of  Seville,  he  took  with  him  a  bone  of  this  thrice- 


350          CHRONICLE  OF  FERNAN  GONZALEZ. 

blessed  and  utterly  renowned  cavalier,  together  with  his  sword 
and  pennon,  hoping  through  their  efficacy  to  succeed  in  his  en 
terprise,  —  nor  was  he  disappointed ;  but  what  is  marvellous  to 
hear,  but  which  we  have  on  the  authority  of  the  good  Bishop 
Sandoval,  on  the  day  on  which  King  Fernando  the  Saint  en 
tered  Seville  in  triumph,  great  blows  were  heard  to  resound 
within  the  sepulchre  of  the  count  at  Arlanza,  as  if  veritably  his 
bones  which  remained  behind  exulted  in  the  victory  gained  by 
those  which  had  been  carried  to  the  wars.  Thus  were  mar 
vellously  fulfilled  the  words  of  the  holy  psalm,  —  "  Exaltabant 
ossa  humilitata."  * 

Here  ends  the  chronicle  of  the  rapst  valorous  and  renowned 
Don  Fernan  Gonzalez,  Count  of  Castile.    Laus  Deo. 

*  Sandoval,  p.  334. 


CHRONICLE  OF  FERNANDO   THE   SAINT. 


CHRONICLE   OF   FERNANDO   THE  SAINT. 


'    CHAPTER  I. 

THE  PARENTAGE  OF  FERNANDO. QUEEN  BERENGUELA.  — 

THE  LARAS. DON  ALVAR  CONCEALS  THE  DEATH  OF  KING 

HENRY.  MISSION  OF  QUEEN  BERENGUELA  TO  ALFONSO 

IX. SHE  RENOUNCES  THE  CROWN  OF  CASTILE  IN  FAVOR 

OF  HER  SON  FERNANDO. 

FERNANDO  HI.,  surnamed  the  Saint,  was  the  son  of  Alfonso 
III.  King  of  Leon,  and  of  Berenguela,  a  princess  of  Castile  ; 
but  there  were  some  particulars  concerning  his  parentage  which 
it  is  necessary  clearly  to  state  before  entering  upon  his  per 
sonal  history. 

Alfonso  III.  of  Leon,  and  Alfonso  IX.  King  of  Castile,  were 
cousins,  but  there  were  dissensions  between  them.  The  King 
of  Leon,  to  strengthen  himself,  married  his  cousin,  the  Princess 
Theresa,  daughter  of  his  uncle,  the  King  of  Portugal.  By  her 
he  had  two  daughters.  The  marriage  was  annulled  by  Pope 
Celestine  III.  on  account  of  their  consanguinity,  and,  on  their 
making  resistance,  they  were  excommunicated  and  the  kingdom 
laid  under  an  interdict.  This  produced  an  unwilling  separa 
tion  in  1195.  Alfonso  IH.  did  not  long  remain  single.  Fresh 
dissensions  having  broken  out  between  him  and  his  cousin 
Alfonso  IX.  of  Castile,  they  were  amicably  adjusted  by  his 

marrying  the  Princess  Berenguela,  daughter  of  that  monarch. 
16  » 


354  CHRONICLE    OF   FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 

This  second  marriage,  which  took  place  about  three  years  after 
the  divorce,  came  likewise  under  the  ban  of  the  Church,  and 
for  the  same  reason,  the  near  propinquity  of  the  parties.  Again 
the  commands  of  the  Pope  were  resisted,  and  again  the  refrac 
tory  parties  were  excommunicated  and  the  kingdom  laid  under 
an  interdict. 

The  unfortunate  King  of  Leon  was  the  more  unwilling  to 
give  up  the  present  marriage,  as  the  Queen  Berenguela  had 
made  him  the  happy  father  of  several  children,  one  of  whom 
he  hoped  might  one  day  inherit  the  two  crowns  of  Leon  and 
Castile. 

The  intercession  and  entreaties  of  the  bishops  of  Castile  so 
far  mollified  the  rigor  of  the  Pope,  that  a  compromise  was 
made  ;  the  legitimacy  of  the  children  by  the  present  marriage 
was  not  to  be  affected  by  the  divorce  of  the  parents,  and  Fer 
nando,  the  eldest,  the  subject  of  the  present  chronicle,  was 
recognized  as  successor  to  his  father  to  the  throne  of  Leon. 
The  divorced  Queen  Berenguela  left  Fernando  in  Le"on,  and 
returned  in  1204  to  Castile,  to  the  court  of  her  father,  Alfonso 
III.  Here  she  remained  until  the  death  of  her  father  in  1214, 
who  was  succeeded  by  his  son,  Enrique,  or  Henry  I.  The 
latter  being  only  in  his  eleventh  year,  his  sister,  the  ex-Queen 
Berenguela,  was  declared  regent.  She  well  merited  the  trust, 
for  she  was  a  woman  of  great  prudence  and  wisdom,  and  a 
resolute  and  magnanimous  spirit. 

At  this  time  the  house  of  Lara  had  risen  to  great  power. 
There  were  three  brothers  of  that  turbulent  and  haughty  race, 
Don  Alvar  Nunez,  Don  Fernan  Nunez,  and  Don  Gonzalo 
Nunez.  The  Laras  had  caused  great  trouble  in  the  kingdom 
during  the  minority  of  Prince  Henry's  father,  by  arrogating  to 
themselves  the  regency ;  and  they  now  attempted,  in  like  man- 


CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  355 

ner,  to  get  the  guardianship  of  the  son,  declaring  it  an  office 
too  important  and  difficult  to  be  intrusted  to  a  woman.  Hav 
ing  a  powerful  and  unprincipled  party  among  the  nobles,  and 
using  great  bribery  among  persons  in  whom  Berenguela  con 
fided,  they  carried  their  point ;  and  the  virtuous  Berenguela,  to 
prevent  civil  commotions,  resigned  the  regency  into  the  hands 
of  Don  Alvar  Nunez  de  Lara,  the  head  of  that  ambitious 
house.  First,  however,  she  made  him  kneel  and  swear  that  he 
would  conduct  himself  toward  the  youthful  king,  Enrique,  as  a 
thorough  friend  and  a  loyal  vassal,  guarding  his  person  and  his 
kingdom  from  all  harm ;  that  he  would  respect  the  property  of 
individuals,  and  undertake  nothing  of  importance  without  the 
counsel  and  consent  of  Queen  Berenguela.  Furthermore,  that 
he  would  guard  and  respect  the  hereditary  possessions  of 
Queen  Berenguela,  left  to  her  by  her  father,  and  would  always 
serve  her  as  his  sovereign,  the  daughter  of  his  deceased  king. 
All  this  Don  Alvar  Nunez  solemnly  swore  upon  the  sacred 
evangelists  and  the  holy  cross. 

No  sooner,  however,  had  he  got  the  young  king  in  his  power, 
than  he  showed  the  ambition,  rapacity,  and  arrogance  of  his 
nature.  He  prevailed  upon  the  young  king  to  make  him  a 
count ;  he  induced  him  to  hold  cortes  without  the  presence  of 
Queen  Berenguela ;  issuing  edicts  in  the  king's  name,  he  ban 
ished  refractory  nobles,  giving  their  offices  and  lands  to  his 
brothers ;  he  levied  exactions  on  rich  and  poor,  and  what  is 
still  more  flagrant,  he  extended  these  exactions  to  the  Church. 
In  vain  did  Queen  Berenguela  remonstrate  ;  in  vain  did  the 
Dean  of  Toledo  thunder  forth  an  excommunication ;  he  scoffed 
at  them  both,  for  in  the  king's  name  he  persuaded  himself  he 
had  a  tower  of  strength.  He  even  sent  a  letter  to  Queen 
Berenguela  in  the  name  of  the  young  king,  demanding  of  her 


356  CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE   SAINT. 

the  castles,  towns,  and  ports  which  had  been  left  to  her  by  her 
father.  The  queen  was  deeply  grieved  at  this  letter,  and  sent 
a  reply  to  the  king,  that,  when  she  saw  him  face  to  face,  she 
would  do  with  those  possessions  whatever  he  should  command, 
as  her  brother  and  sovereign. 

On  receiving  this  message  the  young  king  was  shocked  and 
distressed  that  such  a  demand  should  have  been  made  in  his 
name  ;  but  he  was  young  and  inexperienced,  and  could  not 
openly  contend  with  a  man  of  Don  Alvar's  overbearing  char 
acter.  He  wrote  secretly  to  the  queen,  however,  assuring  her 
that  the  demand  had  been  made  without  his  knowledge,  and 
saying  how  gladly  he  would  come  to  her  if  he  could,  and  be 
relieved  from  the  thraldom  of  Don  Alvar. 

In  this  way  the  unfortunate  prince  was  made  an  instrument 
in  the  hands  of  this  haughty  and  arrogant  nobleman  of  inflict 
ing  all  kinds  of  wrongs  and  injuries  upon  his  subjects.  Don 
Alvar  constantly  kept  him  with  him,  carrying  him  from  place 
to  place  of  his  dominions,  wherever  his  presence  was  necessary 
to  effect  some  new  measure  of  tyranny.  He  even  endeavored  to 
negotiate  a  marriage  between  the  young  king  and  some  neigh 
boring  princess,  in  order  to  retain  an  influence  over  him,  but 
in  this  he  was  unsuccessful. 

For  three  years  had  he  maintained  this  iniquitous  sway, 
until  one  day  in  1217,  when  the  young  king  was  with  him  at 
Palencia,  and  was  playing  with  some  youthful  companions  in 
the  court-yard  of  the  episcopal  palace,  a  tile,  either  falling  from 
the  roof  of  a  tower,  or  sportively  thrown  by  one  of  his  com 
panions,  struck  him  in  the  head,  and  inflicted  a  wound  of  which 
he  presently  died. 

This  was  a  fatal  blow  to  the  power  of  Don  Alvar.  To  secure 
himself  from  any  sudden  revulsion  in  the  popular  mind,  he  de- 


CHKONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  357 

termined  to  conceal  the  death  of  the  king  as  long  as  possible, 
and  gave  out  that  he  had  retired  to  the  fortress  of  Tariego, 
whither  he  had  the  body  conveyed,  as  if  still  living.  He  con 
tinued  to  issue  despatches  from  time  to  time  in  the  name  of  the 
king,  and  made  various  excuses  for  his  non-appearance  in 
public. 

Queen  Berenguela  soon  learnt  the  truth.  According  to  the 
laws  of  Castile  she  was  heiress  to  the  crown,  but  she  resolved  to 
transfer  it  to  her  son,  Fernando,  who,  being  likewise  acknowl 
edged  successor  to  the  crown  of  Leon,  would  unite  the  two 
kingdoms  under  his'  rule.  To  effect  her  purpose  she  availed 
herself  of  the  cunning  of  her  enemy,  kept  secret  her  knowledge 
of  the  death  of  her  brother,  and  sent  two  of  her  confidential 
cavaliers,  Don  Lope  Diaz  de  Haro,  Senor  of  Biscay,  and  Don 
Gonzalo  Ruiz  Giron,  and  Don  Alonzo  Tellez  de  Meneses,  to  her 
late  husband,  Alfonso  IX.  King  of  Leon,  who,  with  her  son 
Fernando,  was  then  at  Toro,  entreating  him  to  send  the  latter  to 
her  to  protect  her  from  the  tyranny  of  Don  Alvar.  The  prudent 
mother,  however,  forbore  to  let  King  Alfonso  know  of  her 
brother's  death,  lest  it  might  awaken  in  him  ambitious  thoughts 
about  the  Castilian  crown. 

This  mission  being  sent,  she  departed  with  the  cavaliers  of  her 
party  for  Palencia.  The  death  of  the  King  Enrique  being 
noised  about,  she  was  honored  as  Queen  of  Castile,  and  Don 
Tello,  the  bishop,  came  forth  in  procession  to  receive  her.  The 
next  day  she  proceeded  to  the  castle  of  Duenas,  and,  on  its 
making  some  show  of  resistance,  took  it  by  force. 

The  cavaliers  who  were  with  the  queen  endeavored  to  effect 
a  reconciliation  between  her  and  Don  Alvar,  seeing  that  the 
latter  had  powerful  connections,  and  through  his  partisans  and 
retainers  held  possession  of  the  principal  towns  and  fortresses ; 


358  CHRONICLE    OF   FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 

that  haughty  nobleman,  however,  would  listen  to  no  proposals 
unless  the  Prince  Fernando  was  given  into  his  guardianship,  as 
had  been  the  Prince  Enrique. 

In  the  mean  time  the  request  of  Queen  Berenguela  had  been 
granted  by  her  late  husband,  the  King  of  Leon,  and  her  son 
Fernando  hastened  to  meet  her.  The  meeting  took  place  at 
the  castle  of  Otiella,  and  happy  was  the  anxious  mother  once 
more  to  embrace  her  son.  At  her  command  the  cavaliers  in 
her  train  elevated  him  on  the  trunk  of  an  elm-tree  for  a 
throne,  and  hailed  him  king  with  great  acclamations. 

They  now  proceeded  to  Valladolid,  which  at  that  time  was  a 
great  and  wealthy  town.  Here  the  nobility  and  chivalry  of 
Estramadura  and  other  parts  hastened  to  pay  homage  to  the 
queen.  A  stage  was  erected  in  the  market-place,  where  the  as 
sembled  states  acknowledged  her  for  queen  and  swore  fealty  to 
her.  She  immediately,  in  presence  of  her  nobles,  prelates,  and 
people,  renounced  the  crown  in  favor  of  her  son.  The  air  rang 
with  the  shouts  of  "  Long  live  Fernando,  King  of  Castile  ! " 
The  bishops  and  clergy  then  conducted  the  king  in  state  to  the 
church.  This  was  on  the  31st  of  August,  1217,  and  about 
three  months  from  the  death  of  King  Enrique. 

Fernando  was  at  this  time  about  eighteen  years  of  age,  an 
accomplished  cavalier,  having  been  instructed  in  everything  be 
fitting  a  prince  and  a  warrior. 


CHRONICLE    OP   FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  359 


CHAPTER  IL 

KING    ALFONSO    OF   LEON    RAVAGES    CASTILE. CAPTIVITY   OF 

DON    ALVAR. DEATH    OF    THE    LARAS. 

KING  ALFONSO  of  Leon  was  exceedingly  exasperated  at  the 
furtive  manner  in  which  his  son  Fernando  had  left  him,  without 
informing  him  of  King  Henry's  death.  He  considered,  and  per 
haps  with  reason,  the  transfer  of  the  crown  of  Castile  by  Be- 
renguela  to  her  son,  as  a  manoeuvre  to  evade  any  rights  or 
claims  which  he,  King  Alfonso,  might  have  over  her,  notwith 
standing  their  divorce  ;  and  he  believed  that  both  mother  and 
son  had  conspired  to  deceive  and  outwit  him  ;  and,  what  was 
especially  provoking,  they  had  succeeded.  It  was  natural  for 
King  Alfonso  to  have  become  by  this  time  exceedingly  irritable 
and  sensitive ;  he  had  been  repeatedly  thwarted  in  his  dearest 
concerns  ;  excommunicated  out  of  two  wives  by  the  Pope,  and 
now,  as  he  conceived,  cajoled  out  of  a  kingdom. 

In  his  wrath  he  flew  to  arms,  —  a  prompt  and  customary  re 
course  of  kings  in  those  days  when  they  had  no  will  to  consult 
but  their  own  ;  and  notwithstanding  the  earnest  expostulations 
and  entreaties  of  holy  men,  he  entered  Castile  with  an  army, 
ravaging  the  legitimate  inheritance  of  his  son,  as  if  it  had  been 
the  territory  of  an  enemy.  He  was  seconded  in  his  outrages 
by  Count  Alvar  Nunez  de  Lara  and  his  two  bellicose  brothers, 
who  hoped  still  to  retain  power  by  rallying  under  his  standard. 

There  were  at  this  time  full  two  thousand  cavaliers  with  the 


360  CHRONICLE    OP   FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 

youthful  king,  resolute  men,  well  armed  and  well  appointed,  and 
they  urged  him  to  lead  them  against  the  King  of  Leon.  Queen 
Berenguela,  however,  interposed  and  declared  her  son  should 
never  be  guilty  of  the  impiety  of  taking  up  arms  against  his 
father.  By  her  advice  King  Fernando  sent  an  embassy  to  his 
father,  expostulating  with  him,  and  telling  him  that  he  ought 
to  be  thankful  to  God  that  Castile  was  in  the  hands  of  a  son 
disposed  at  all  times  to  honor  and  defend  him,  instead  of  a 
stranger  who  might  prove  a  dangerous  foe. 

King  Alfonso,  however,  was  not  so  to  be  appeased.  By  the 
ambassadors  he  sent  proposals  to  Queen  Berenguela  that  they 
reenter  into  wedlock,  for  which  he  would  procure  a  dispensation 
from  the  Pope ;  they  would  then  be  jointly  sovereigns  of  both 
Castile  and  Leon,  and  the  Prince  Fernando,  their  son,  should 
inherit  both  crowns.  But  the  virtuous  Berenguela  recoiled  from 
this  proposal  of  a  second  nuptials.  "  God  forbid,"  replied  she, 
"  that  I  should  return  to  a  sinful  marriage ;  and  as  to  the  crown 
of  Castile,  it  now  belongs  to  my  son,  to  whom  I  have  given  it 
with  the  sanction  of  God  and  the  good  men  of  this  realm." 

King  Alfonso  was  more  enraged  than  ever  by  this  reply,  and 
being  incited  and  aided  by  Count  Alvar  and  his  faction,  he  re 
sumed  his  ravages,  laying  waste  the  country  and  burning  the 
villages.  He  would  have  attacked  Duenas,  but  found  that  place 
strongly  garrisoned  by  Diego  Lopez  de  Haro  and  Ruy  Diaz  de 
los  Cameros ;  he  next  marched  upon  Burgos,  but  that  place 
was  equally  well  garrisoned  by  Lope  Diez  de  Faro  and  other 
stout  Castilian  cavaliers;  so  perceiving  his  son  to  be  more 
firmly  seated  upon  the  throne  than  he  had  imagined,  and  that 
all  his  own  menaces  and  ravages  were  unavailing,  he  returned 
deeply  chagrined  to  his  kingdom. 

King  Fernando,  in  obedience  to  the  dictates  of  his  mother 


CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  361 

as  well  as  of  his  own  heart,  abstained  from  any  acts  of  re 
taliation  on  his  father ;  but  he  turned  his  arms  against  Munon 
and  Lerma  and  Lara,  and  other  places  which  either  belonged 
to,  or  held  out  for,  Count  Alvar,  and  having  subdued  them, 
proceeded  to  Burgos,  the  capital  of  his  kingdom,  where  he 
was  received  by  the  bishop  and  clergy  with  great  solemnity, 
and  whither  the  nobles  and  chivalry  from  all  parts  of  Castile 
hastened  to  rally  round  his  throne.  The  turbulent  Count 
Alvar  Nunez  de  Lara  and  his  brothers  retaining  other  for 
tresses  too  strong  to  be  easily  taken,  refused  all  allegiance, 
and  made  ravaging  excursions  over  the  country.  The  pru 
dent  and  provident  Berenguela,  therefore,  while  at  Burgos, 
seeing  that  the  troubles  and  contentions  of  the  kingdom 
would  cause  great  expense  and  prevent  much  revenue, 
gathered  together  all  her  jewels  of  gold  and  silver  and  pre 
cious  stones,  and  all  her  plate,  and  rich  silks,  and  other  pre 
cious  things,  and  caused  them  to  be  sold,  and  gave  the  money 
to  her  son  to  defray  the  cost  of  these  civil  wars. 

King  Fernando  and  his  mother  departed  shortly  afterwards 
for  Palencia ;  on  their  way  they  had  to  pass  by  Herrera,  which 
at  that  time  was  the  stronghold  of  Count  Alvar.  When  the 
king  came  in  sight,  Count  Fernan  Nunez,  with  his  battal 
ions,  was  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  but  drew  within  the  walls. 
As  the  king  had  to  pass  close  by  with  his  retinue,  he  ordered 
his  troops  to  be  put  in  good  order  and  gave  it  in  charge  to 
Alonzo  Tellez  and  Suer  Tellez  and  Alvar  Ruyz  to  protect  the 
flanks. 

As  the  royal  troops  drew  near,  Count  Alvar,  leaving  his 
people  in  the  town,  sallied  forth  with  a  few  cavaliers  to  regard 
the  army  as  it  passed.  Affecting  great  contempt  for  the 
youthful  king  and  his  cavaliers,  he  stood  drawn  up  on  a  rising 


362  CHRONICLE    OF   FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 

ground  with  his  attendants,  looking  down  upon  the  troops 
with  scornful  aspect,  and  rejecting  all  advice  to  retire  into 
the  town. 

As  the  king  and  his  immediate  escort  came  nigh,  their 
attention  was  attracted  to  this  little  body  of  proud  warriors 
drawn  up  upon  a  bank  and  regarding  them  so  loftily ;  and 
Alonzo  Tellez  and  Suer  Tellez,  looking  more  closely,  recog 
nized  Don  Alvar,  and  putting  spurs  to  their  horses,  dashed 
up  the  bank,  followed  by  several  cavaliers.  Don  Alvar  re 
pented  of  his  vain  confidence  too  late,  and  seeing  great  num 
bers  urging  toward  him,  turned  his  reins  and  retreated  toward 
the  town.  Still  his  stomach  was  too  high  for  absolute  flight, 
and  the  others,  who  spurred  after  him  at  full  speed,  overtook 
him.  Throwing  himself  from  his  horse,  he  covered  himself 
with  his  shield  and  prepared  for  defence.  Alonzo  Tellez, 
however,  called  to  his  men  not  to  kill  the  count,  but  to  take 
him  prisoner.  He  was  accordingly  captured,  with  several  of 
his  followers,  and  borne  off  to  the  king  and  queen.  The 
count  had  everything  to  apprehend  from  their  vengeance  for 
his  misdeeds.  They  used  no  personal  harshness,  however,  but 
demanded  from  him  that  he  should  surrender  all  the  castles 
and  strong  places  held  by  the  retainers  and  partisans  of  his 
brothers  and  himself,  that  he  should  furnish  one  hundred  horse 
men  to  aid  in  their  recovery,  and  should  remain  a  prisoner 
until  those  places  were  all  in  the  possession  of  the  crown. 

Captivity  broke  the  haughty  spirit  of  Don  Alvar.  He 
agreed  to  those  conditions,  and  until  they  should  be  fulfilled 
was  consigned  to  the  charge  of  Gonsalvo  Ruyz  Giron,  and 
confined  in  the  castle  of  Valladolid.  The  places  were  de 
livered  up  in  the  course  of  a  few  months,  and  thus  King  Fer 
nando  became  strongly  possessed  of  his  kingdom. 


CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  363 

Stripped  of  power,  state,  and  possessions,  Count  Alvar 
and  his  brothers,  after  an  ineffectual  attempt  to  rouse  the  King 
of  Leon  to  another  campaign  against  his  son,  became  savage 
and  desperate,  and  made  predatory  excursions,  pillaging  the 
country,  until  Count  Alvar  fell  mortally  ill  of  hydropsy. 
Struck  with  remorse  and  melancholy,  he  repaired  to  Toro  and 
entered  the  chivalrous  order  of  Santiago,  that  he  might  gain 
the  indulgences  granted  by  the  pope  to  those  who  die  in  that 
order,  and  hoping,  says  an  ancient  chronicler,  to  oblige  God, 
as  it  were,  by  that  religious  ceremony,  to  pardon  his  sins.* 
His  illness  endured  seven  months,  and  he  was  reduced  to  such 
poverty  that  at  his  death  there  was  not  money  enough  left 
by  him  to  convey  his  body  to  Ucles,  where  he  had  requested 
to  be  buried,  nor  to  pay  for  tapers  for  his  funeral.  When 
Queen  Berenguela  heard  this,  she  ordered  that  the  funeral 
should  be  honorably  performed  at  her  own  expense,  and  sent 
a  cloth  of  gold  to  cover  the  bier.f 

The  brother  of  Count  Alvar,  Don  Fernando,  abandoned 
his  country  in  despair  and  went  to  Marocco,  where  he  was  well 
received  by  the  miramamolin,  and  had  lands  and  revenues  as 
signed  to  him.  He  became  a  great  favorite  among  the  Moors, 
to  whom  he  used  to  recount  his  deeds  in  the  civil  wars  of 
Castile.  At  length  he  fell  dangerously  ill,  and  caused  himself 
to  be  taken  to  a  suburb  inhabited  by  Christians.  There 
happened  to  be  there  at  that  time  one  Don  Gonsalvo,  a 
knight  of  the  order  of  the  Hospital  of  St.  John  de  Acre,  and 
who  had  been  in  the  service  of  Pope  Innocent  III.  Don  Fer 
nando,  finding  his  end  approaching,  entreated  of  the  knight 
his  religious  habit,  that  he  might  die  in  it.  His  request  was 

*  Cronica  Gotica,  por  Don  Alonzo  Nunez  de  Castro,  p.  17. 
t  Cronica  General  de  Espana,  part  3.,  p.  370. 


364  CHRONICLE    OP    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 

granted,  and  thus  Count  Fernando  died  in  the  habit  of  a 
Knight  Hospitaliere  of  St.  John  de  Acre,  in  Elbora,  a  suburb 
of  Marocco.  His  body  was  afterwards  brought  to  Spain,  and 
interred  in  a  town  on  the  banks  of  the  Pisuerga,  in  which 
repose  likewise  the  remains  of  his  wife  and  children. 

The  Count  Gonsalvo  Nunez  de  Lara,  the  third  of  these 
brothers,  also  took  refuge  among  the  Moors.  He  was  seized 
with  violent  disease  in  the  city  of  Baeza,  where  he  died.  His 
body  was  conveyed  to  Campos  a  Zalmos,  which  appertained 
to  the  Friars  of  the  Temple,  where  the  holy  fraternity  gave 
it  the  rites  of  sepulture  with  all  due  honor.  Such  was  the 
end  of  these  three  brothers  of  the  once  proud  and  powerful 
house  of  Lara,  whose  disloyal  deeds  had  harassed  their 
country  and  brought  ruin  upon  themselves. 


CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  365 


CHAPTER  HI. 

MARRIAGE  OF  KING  FERNANDO.  —  CAMPAIGN  AGAINST  THE 

MOORS.  ABEN  MOHAMMED,  KING  OF   BAEZA,  DECLARES 

HIMSELF  THE  VASSAL  OF  KING  FERNANDO. THEY  MARCH 

TO  JAEN.  BURNING  OF  THE  TOWER.  FERNANDO  COM 
MENCES  THE  BUILDING  OF  THE  CATHEDRAL  AT  TOLEDO. 

KING  FERNANDO,  aided  by  the  sage  counsels  of  his  mother, 
reigned  for  some  time  in  peace  and  quietness,  administering  his 
affairs  with  equity  and  justice.  The  good  Queen  Berenguela 
now  began  to  cast  about  her  eyes  in  search  of  a  suitable  al 
liance  for  her  son,  and  had  many  consultations  with  the  Bishop 
Maurice  of  Burgos,  and  other  ghostly  counsellors,  thereupon. 
They  at  length  agreed  upon  the  Princess  Beatrix,  daughter  of 
the  late  Philip,  Emperor  of  Germany,  and  the  Bishop  Maurice 
and  Padre  Fray  Pedro  de  Arlanza  were  sent  as  envoys  to  the 
Emperor  Frederick  II.,  cousin  of  the  princess,  to  negotiate  the 
terms.  An  arrangement  was  happily  effected,  and  the  princess 
set  out  for  Spain.  In  passing  through  France  she  was  courte 
ously  entertained  at  Paris  by  King  Philip,  who  made  her  rich 
presents.  On  the  borders  of  Castile  she  was  met  at  Victoria 
by  the  Queen  Berenguela,  with  a  great  train  of  prelates,  monks, 
and  masters  of  the  religious  orders,  and  of  abbesses  and  nuns, 
together  with  a  glorious  train  of  chivalry.  In  this  state  she 
was  conducted  to  Burgos,  where  the  king  and  all  his  court  came 
forth  to  receive  her,  and  their  nuptials  were  celebrated  with 
great  pomp  and  rejoicing. 


366  CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 

King  Fernando  lived  happily  with  his  fair  Queen  Beatrix, 
and  his  kingdom  remained  in  peace ;  but  by  degrees  he  became 
impatient  of  quiet,  and  anxious  to  make  war  upon  the  Moors. 
Perhaps  he  felt  called  upon  to  make  some  signal  assay  in  arms 
at  present,  having,  the  day  before  his  nuptials,  been  armed  a 
knight  in  the  monastery  of  Las  Huelgas,  and  in  those  iron  days 
knighthood  was  not  a  matter  of  mere  parade  and  ceremony, 
but  called  for  acts  of  valor  and  proofs  of  stern  endurance. 

The  discreet  Berenguela  endeavored  to  dissuade  her  son 
from  taking  the  field,  considering  him  not  of  sufficient  age. 
In  all  things  else  he  was  ever  obedient  to  her  counsels,  and 
even  to  her  inclinations,  but  it  was  in  vain  that  she  endeavored 
to  persuade  him  from  making  war  upon  the  infidels.  "  God," 
would  he  say,  "  had  put  into  his  hands  not  merely  a  sceptre  to 
govern,  but  a  sword  to  avenge  his  country." 

It  was  fortunate  for  the  good  cause,  moreover,  add  the  Span 
ish  chroniclers,  that  while  the  queen-mother  was  endeavoring 
to  throw  a  damper  on  the  kindling  fire  of  her  son,  a  worthy 
prelate  was  at  hand  to  stir  it  up  into  a  blaze.  This  was  the 
illustrious  historian  Rodrigo,  Archbishop  of  Toledo,  who  now 
preached  a  crusade  against  the  Moors,  promising  like  indul 
gences  with  those  granted  to  the  warriors  for  the  Holy  Sepul 
chre.  The  consequence  was  a  great  assemblage  of  troops  from 
all  parts  at  Toledo. 

King  Fernando  was  prevented  for  a  time  from  taking  the 
field  in  person,  but  sent  in  advance  Don  Lope  Diaz  de  Haro 
and  Ruy  Gonsalvo  de  Giron  and  Alonzo  Tellez  de  Meneses, 
with  five  hundred  cavaliers  well  armed  and  mounted.  The 
very  sight  of  them  effected  a  conquest  over  Aben  Mohamed, 
the  Moorish  King  of  Baeza,  insomuch  that  he  sent  an  embassy 
to  King  Fernando,  declaring  himself  his  vassal. 


CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  367 

When  King  Fernando  afterwards  took  the  field,  he  was 
joined  by  this  Moorish  ally  at  the  Navas  or  plains  of  Tolosa ; 
who  was  in  company  with  him  when  the  king  marched  to 
Jaen,  to  the  foot  of  a  tower,  and  set  fire  to  it,  whereupon  those 
Moors  who  remained  in  the  tower  were  burnt  to  death,  and 
those  who  leaped  from  the  walls  were  received  on  the  points  of 
lances. 

Notwithstanding  the  burnt-offering  of  this  tower,  Heaven  did 
not  smile  upon  the  attempt  of  King  Fernando  to  reduce  the 
city  of  Jaen.  He  was  obliged  to  abandon  the  siege,  but  con 
soled  himself  by  laying  waste  the  country.  He  was  more  suc 
cessful  elsewhere.  He  carried  the  strong  town  of  Priego  by 
assault,  and  gave  the  garrison  their  lives  on  condition  of  yield 
ing  up  all  their  property,  and  paying  ^moreover  eighty  thousand 
maravedis  of  silver.  For  the  payment  of  this  sum  they  were 
obliged  to  give  as  hostages  fifty-five  damsels  of  great  beauty, 
and  fifty  cavaliers  of  rank,  beside  nine  hundred  of  the  common 
people.  The  king  divided  his  hostages  among  his  bravest 
cavaliers  and  the  religious  orders  ;  but  his  vassal,  the  Moorish 
King  of  Baeza,  obtained  the  charge  of  the  Moorish  damsels. 

The  king  then  attacked  Loxa,  and  his  men  scaled  the  walls 
and  burnt  the  gates,  and  made  themselves  masters  of  the 
place.  He  then  led  his  army  into  the  Vega  of  Granada,  the 
inhabitants  of  which  submitted  to  become  his  vassals,  and  gave 
up  all  the  Christian  captives  in  that  city,  amounting  to  thirteen 
hundred. 

Aben  Mohamed,  King  of  Baeza,  then  delivered  to  King 
Fernando  the  towers  of  Martos  and  Andujar,  and  the  king 
gave  them  to  Don  Alvar  Perez  de  Castro,  and  placed  with  him 
Don  Gonzalo  Ybanez,  Master  of  Calatrava,  and  Tello  Alonzo 
Meneses,  son  of  Don  Alonzo  Tellez,  and  other  stout  cavaliers, 


368  CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 

fitted  to  maintain  frontier  posts.  These  arrangements  being 
made,  and  having  ransacked  every  mountain  and  valley,  and 
taken  many  other  places  not  herein  specified,  King  Fernando 
returned  in  triumph  to  Toledo,  where  he  was  joyfully  received 
by  his  mother  Berenguela  and  his  wife  Beatrix. 

Clerical  historians  do  not  fail  to  record  with  infinite  satisfac 
tion  a  signal  instance  of  the  devout  and  zealous  spirit  which 
King  Fernando  had  derived  from  his  constant  communion  with 
the  reverend  fathers  of  the  Church.  As  the  king  was  one  day 
walking  with  his  ghostly  adviser  the  archbishop,  in  the  princi 
pal  church  of  Toledo,  which  was  built  in  the  Moresco  fashion, 
having  been  a  mosque  of  the  infidels,  it  occurred,  or  more 
probably  was  suggested  to  him,  that,  since  God  had  aided  him 
to  increase  his  kingdom,  and  had  given  him  such  victories  over 
the  enemies  of  his  holy  faith,  it  became  him  to  rebuild  his 
holy  temple,  which  was  ancient  and  falling  to  decay,  and  to 
adorn  it  richly  with  the  spoils  taken  from  the  Moors.  The 
thought  was  promptly  carried  into  effect.  The  king  and  the 
archbishop  laid  the  first  stone  with  great  solemnity,  and  in  the 
fulness  of  time  accomplished  that  mighty  cathedral  of  Toledo, 
which  remains  the  wonder  and  admiration  of  after-ages. 


CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  369 


CHAPTER  IV. 

ASSASSINATION  OF  ABEN  MOHAMED.  —  HIS  HEAD  CARRIED  AS 
A  PRESENT  TO  ABULLALE,  THE  MOORISH  KING  OF  SEVILLE. 
ADVANCE  OF  THE  CHRISTIANS  INTO  ANDALUSIA.  ABUL 
LALE  PURCHASES  A  TRUCE. 

THE  worthy  Fray  Antonio  Agapida  records  various  other 
victories  and  achievements  of  King  Fernando  in  a  subsequent 
campaign  against  the  Moors  of  Andalusia  ;  in  the  course  of 
which  his  camp  was  abundantly  supplied  with  grain  by  his  vas 
sal  Aben  Mohamed,  the  Moorish  king  of  Baeza.  The  assist 
ance  rendered  by  that  Moslem  monarch  to  the  Christian  forces 
in  their  battles  against  those  of  his  own  race  and  his  own  faith, 
did  not  meet  with  the  reward  it  merited.  "  Doubtless,"  says  An 
tonio  Agapida,  "  because  he  halted  half  way  in  the  right  path, 
and  did  not  turn  thorough  renegado."  It  appears  that  his 
friendship  for  the  Christians  gave  great  disgust  to  his  subjects, 
and  some  of  them  rose  upon  him,  while  he  was  sojourning  in  the 
city  of  Cordova,  and  sought  to  destroy  him.  Aben  Mohamed 
fled  by  a  gate  leading  to  the  gardens,  to  take  shelter  in  the 
tower  of  Almodovar ;  but  the  assassins  overtook  him,  and  slew 
him  on  a  hill  near  the  tower.  They  then  cut  off  his  head  and 
carried  it  as  a  present  to  Abullale,  the  Moorish  king  of  Seville, 
expecting  to  be  munificently  rewarded  ;  but  that  monarch  gave 
command  that  their  heads  should  be  struck  off  and  their  bodies 
thrown  to  the  dogs,  as  traitors  to  their  liege  lords.* 

*   Cron.  Gen.  de  Espana,  part  4,  fol.  373. 
voi«  i.  17 


07<>  CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 

King  Fernando  was  grieved  when  he  heard  of  the  assassina 
tion  of  his  vassal,  and  feared  the  death  of  Aben  Mohamed  might 
lead  to  a  rising  of  the  Moors.  He  sent  notice  to  Andujar,  to 
Don  Alvar  Perez  de  Castro  and  Alonzo  Tellez  de  Meneses,  to 
be  on  their  guard ;  but  the  Moors,  fearing  punishment  for  some 
rebellious  movements,  abandoned  the  town,  and  it  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  king.  The  Moors  of  Martos  did  the  like.  The 
Alcazar  of  Baeza  yielded  also  to  the  king,  who  placed  in  it 
Don  Lope  Diaz  de  Haro  with  five  hundred  men. 

Abullale,  the  Moorish  sovereign  of  Seville,  was  alarmed  at 
seeing  the  advances  which  the  Christians  were  making  in  An 
dalusia  ;  and  attempted  to  wrest  from  their  hands  these  newly 
acquired  places.  He  marched  upon  Martos,  which  was  not 
strongly  walled.  The  Countess  Dona  Yrenia,  wife  to  Don 
Alvar  Perez  de  Castro,  was  in  this  place,  and  her  husband  was 
absent.  Don  Tello  Alonzo,  with  a  Spanish  force,  hastened  to 
her  assistance.  Finding  the  town  closely  invested,  he  formed 
his  men  into  a  troop,  and  endeavored  to  cut  his  way  through  the 
enemy.  A  rude  conflict  ensued,  —  the  cavaliers  fought  their 
way  forward,  and  Christian  and  Moor  arrived  pell-mell  at  the 
gate  of  the  town.  Here  the  press  was  excessive.  Fernan  Go 
mez  de  Pudiello,  a  stout  cavalier,  who  bore  the  pennon  of  Don 
Tello  Alonzo,  was  slain,  and  the  same  fate  would  have  be 
fallen  Don  Tello  himself,  but  that  a  company  of  esquires  sallied 
from  the  town  to  his  rescue. 

King  Abullale  now  encircled  the  town,  and  got  possession  of 
the  Pena,  or  rock,  which  commands  it,  killing  two  hundred 
Christians  who  defended  it. 

Provisions  began  to  fail  the  besieged,  and  they  were  reduced 
to  slay  their  horses  for  food,  and  even  to  eat  the  hides.  Don 
Gonsalvo  Ybanez,  master  of  Calatrava,  who  was  in  Baeza,  hear- 


CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SATNT.  371 

ing  of  the  extremity  of  the  place,  came  suddenly  with  seventy 
men  and  effected  an  entrance.  The  augmentation  of  the  garri 
son  only  served  to  increase  the  famine,  without  being  sufficient 
in  force  to  raise  the  siege.  At  length  word  was  brought  to  Don 
Alvar  Perez  de  Castro,  who  was  with  the  king  at  Guadalaxara, 
of  the  imminent  danger  to  which  his  wife  was  exposed.  He 
instantly  set  off  for  her  relief,  accompanied  by  several  cavaliers 
of  note,  and  a  strong  force.  They  succeeded  in  getting  into 
Martos,  recovered  the  Pena,  or  rock,  and  made  such  vigorous 
defence  that  Abullale  abandoned  the  siege  in  despair.  In  the 
following  year  King  Fernando  led  his  host  to  take  revenge  upon 
this  Moorish  King  of  Seville ;  but  the  latter  purchased  a  truce 
for  one  year  with  three  hundred  maravedis  of  silver.* 

*  Cron.  Gen.  de  Espaiia,  part  4,  c.  ii. 


872  CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 


CHAPTER  V. 

ABEN    HUD. ABULLALE    PURCHASES  ANOTHER    YEAR'S  TRUCE. 

FERNANDO     HEARS     OF     THE     DEATH    OF    HIS     FATHER,    THE 

KING    OF   LEON,    WHILE    PRESSING    THE     SIEGE    OF     JAEN. 

HE    BECOMES    SOVEREIGN    OF   THE    TWO  KINGDOMS    OF    LEON 
AND    CASTILE. 

ABOUT  this  time  a  valiant  sheik,  named  Aben  Abdallar  Mo 
hammed  ben  Hud,  but  commonly  called  Aben  Hud,  was  effect 
ing  a  great  revolution  in  Moorish  affairs.  He  was  of  the  lin 
eage  of  Aben  Alfange,  and  bitterly  opposed  to  the  sect  of  Al- 
mohades,  who  for  a  long  time  had  exercised  a  tyrannical  sway. 
Stirring  up  the  Moors  of  Murcia  to  rise  upon  their  oppressors, 
he  put  himself  at  their  head,  massacred  all  the  Almohades 
that  fell  into  his  hands,  and  made  himself  sheik  or  king  of  that 
region.  He  purified  the  mosques  with  water,  after  the  manner 
in  which  Christians  purify  their  churches,  as  though  they  had 
been  defiled  by  the  Almohades.  Aben  Hud  acquired  a  name 
among  those  of  his  religion  for  justice  and  good  faith  as  well 
as  valor  ;  and  after  some  opposition,  gained  sway  over  all  An 
dalusia.  This  brought  him  in  collision  with  King  Fernando 
(Something  is  wanting  here.)  * 


*  The  hiatus,  here  noted  by  the  author,  has  evidently  arisen  from  the  loss  of  a 
leaf  of  his  manuscript.  The  printed  line  which  precedes  the  parenthesis  con 
cludes  page  32  of  the  manuscript ;  the  line  which  follows  it  begins  page  34. 
The  intermediate  page  is  wanting.  I  presume  the  author  did  not  become  con 
scious  of  his  loss  until  he  had  resorted  to  his  manuscript  for  revision,  and  that  he 


CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  373 

laying  waste  fields  of  grain.  The  Moorish  sovereign  of  Seville 
purchased  another  year's  truce  of  him  for  three  hundred  thou 
sand  maravedis  of  silver.  Aben  Hud,  on  the  other  hand,  col 
lected  a  great  force  and  marched  to  oppose  him,  but  did  not 
dare  to  give  him  battle.  He  went,  therefore,  upon  Merida,  and 
fought  with  King  Alfonso  of  Leon,  father  of  King  Fernando, 
where,  however,  he  met  with  complete  discomfiture. 

On  the  following  year  King  Fernando  repeated  his  invasion 
of  Andalusia,  and  was  pressing  the  siege  of  the  city  of  Jaen, 
which  he  assailed  by  means  of  engines  discharging  stones, 
when  a  courier  arrived  in  all  speed  from  his  mother,  informing 
him  that  his  father,  Alfonso,  was  dead,  and  urging  him  to  pro 
ceed  instantly  to  Leon  to  enforce  his  pretensions  to  the  crown. 
King  Fernando  accordingly  raised  the  siege  of  Jaen,  sending 
his  engines  to  Martos,  and  repaired  to  Castile,  to  consult  with 
his  mother,  who  was  his  counsellor  on  all  occasions. 

It  appeared  that  in  his  last  will  King  Alfonso  had  named  his 
two  daughters  joint  heirs  to  the  crown.  Some  of  the  Leonese 
and  Gallegos  were  disposed  to  place  the  Prince  Alonzo,  brother 
to  King  Fernando,  on  the  throne ;  but  he  had  listened  to  the 
commands  of  his  mother,  and  had  resisted  all  suggestions  of  the 
kind ;  the  larger  part  of  the  kingdom,  including  the  most  im 
portant  cities,  had  declared  for  Fernando. 

Accompanied  by  his  mother,  King  Fernando  proceeded  in 
stantly  into  the  kingdom  of  Leon  with  a  powerful  force. 
Wherever  they  went  the  cities  threw  open  their  gates  to  them. 
The  princesses  Dona  Sancha  and  Dona  Dulce,  with  their 

could  not  depend  upon  his  memory  to  supply  what  was  wanting  without  a  fresh 
resort  to  authorities  not  at  hand.  Hence  a  postponement  and  ultimate  omission. 
The  missing  leaf  would  scarce  have  filled  half  a  page  of  print,  and  it  would  seem 
from  the  context  must  have  related  the  invasion  of  Andalusia  by  Fernando 
uid  the  ravages  committed  by  his  armies.  —  ED. 


374  CHRONICLE    OF   FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 

mother,  Theresa,  would  have  assembled  a  force  to  oppose  them, 
but  the  prelates  were  all  in  favor  of  King  Fernando.  On  his 
approach  to  Leon,  the  bishops  and  clergy  and  all  the  principal 
inhabitants  came  forth  to  receive  him,  and  conducted  him  to 
the  cathedral,  where  he  received  their  homage,  and  was  pro 
claimed  king,  with  the  Te  Deums  of  the'  choir  and  the  shouts 
of  the  people. 

Dona  Theresa,  who,  with  her  daughters,  was  in  Galicia,  find 
ing  the  kingdom  thus  disposed  of,  sent  to  demand  provision  for 
herself  and  the  two  princesses,  who  in  fact  were  step-sisters  of 
King  Fernando.  Queen  Berenguela,  though  she  had  some  rea 
son  not  to  feel  kindly  disposed  towards  Dona  Theresa,  who  she 
might  think  had  been  exercising  a  secret  influence  over  her 
late  husband,  yet  suppressed  all  such  feelings,  and  undertook  to 
repair  in  person  to  Galicia  and  negotiate  this  singular  family 
question.  She  had  an  interview  with  Queen  Theresa  at  Va 
lencia  de  Merlio  in  Galicia,  and  arranged  a  noble  dower  for  her, 
and  an  annual  revenue  to  each  of  her  daughters  of  thirty 
thousand  maravedis  of  gold.  The  king  then  had  a  meeting 
with  his  sisters  at  Benevente,  where  they  resigned  all  preten 
sions  to  the  throne.  All  the  fortified  places  which  held  for 
them  were  given  up,  and  thus  Fernando  became  undisputed 
sovereign  of  the  two  kingdoms  of  Castile  and  Leon. 


CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  375 


CHAPTER    VL 

EXPEDITION  OF  THE  PRINCE  ALONZO  AGAINST  THE  MOORS. 

ENCAMPS   ON   THE  BANKS   OF   THE  GUADALETE.  —  ABEN 

HUD  MARCHES  OUT  FROM  XEREZ  AND  GIVES  BATTLE. 

PROWESS  OF  GARCIA  PEREZ  DE  VARGAS. FLIGHT  AND 

PURSUIT   OF   THE   MOORS. MIRACLE  OF  THE   BLESSED 

SANTIAGO. 

KING  FERNANDO  III.  having,  through  the  sage  counsel  and 
judicious  management  of  his  mother,  made  this  amicable 
arrangement  with  his  step-sisters,  by  which  he  gained  pos 
session  of  their  inheritance,  now  found  his  territories  to  ex 
tend  from  the  Bay  of  Biscay  to  the  vicinity  of  the  Guadal 
quivir,  and  from  the  borders  of  Portugal  to  those  of  Aragon 
and  Valencia;  and  in  addition  to  his  titles  of  King  of  Castile 
and  Leon,  called  himself  King  of  Spain,  by  seignorial  right. 
Being  at  peace  with  all  his  Christian  neighbors,  he  now 
prepared  to  carry  on  with  more  zeal  and  vigor  than  ever  his 
holy  wars  against  the  infidels.  While  making  a  progress, 
however,  through  his  dominions,  administering  justice,  he  sent 
his  brother,  the  Prince  Alonzo,  to  make  an  expedition  into 
the  country  of  the  Moors  and  to  attack  the  newly  risen  power 
of  Aben  Hud. 

As  the  Prince  Alonzo  was  young  and  of  little  experience, 
the  king  sent  Don  Alvar  Perez  de  Castro,  the  Castilian,  with 
him  as  his  captain,  he  being  stout  of  heart,  strong  of  hand, 


376  CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 

and  skilled  in  war.  The  prince  and  his  captain  went  from 
Salamanca  to  Toledo,  where  they  recruited  their  force  with 
a  troop  of  cavalry.  Thence  they  proceeded  to  Andujar,  where 
they  sent  out  Corredores,  or  light  foraging  troops,  who  laid 
waste  the  country,  plundering  and  destroying,  and  bringing 
off  great  booty.  Thence  they  directed  their  ravaging  course 
toward  Cordova,  assaulted  and  carried  Palma,  and  put  all  its 
inhabitants  to  the  sword.  Following  the  fertile  valley  of  the 
Guadalquivir,  they  scoured  the  vicinity  of  Seville,  and  con 
tinued  onward  for  Xerez,  sweeping  off  cattle  and  sheep  from 
the  pastures  of  Andalusia;  driving  on  long  cavalgadas  of 
horses  and  mules  laden  with  spoil ;  until  the  earth  shook  with 
the  tramping  of  their  feet,  and  their  course  was  marked  by 
clouds  of  dust  and  the  smoke  of  burning  villages. 

In  this  desolating  foray  they  were  joined  by  two  hundred 
horse  and  three  hundred  foot,  Moorish  allies,  or  rather  vassals, 
being  led  by  the  son  of  Aben  Mohamed,  the  King  of  Baeza. 

Arrived  within  sight  of  Xerez,  they  pitched  their  tents  on 
the  banks  of  the  Guadalete,  —  that  fatal  river,  sadly  renowned 
in  the  annals  of  Spain  for  the  overthrow  of  Roderick  and  the 
perdition  of  the  kingdom. 

Here  a  good  watch  was  set  over  the  captured  flocks  and 
herds  which  covered  the  adjacent  meadows,  while  the  soldiers, 
fatigued  with  ravage,  gave  themselves  up  to  repose  on  the 
banks  of  the  river,  or  indulged  in  feasting  and  revelry,  or 
gambled  with  each  other  for  their  booty. 

In  the  mean  time  Aben  Hud,  hearing  of  this  inroad,  sum 
moned  all  his  chivalry  of  the  seaboard  of  Andalusia  to  meet 
him  in  Xerez.  They  hastened  to  obey  his  call ;  every  leader 
spurred  for  Xerez  with  his  band  of  vassals.  Thither  came 
also  the  King  of  the  Azules,  with  seven  hundred  horsemen, 


CHRONICLE    OF   FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  377 

Jfoors  of  Africa,  light,  vigorous,  and  active  ;  and  the  city  was 
rull  of  troops. 

The  camp  of  Don  Alonzo  had  a  formidable  appearance  at 
t  distance,  from  the  flocks  and  herds  which  surrounded  it, 
Ihe  vast  number  of  sumpter  mules,  and  the  numerous  cap- 
ives ;  but  when  Aben  Hud  came  to  reconnoitre  it,  he  found 
that  its  aggregate  force  did  not  exceed  three  thousand  five 
hundred  men,  —  a  mere  handful  in  comparison  to  his  army, 
and  those  encumbered  with  cattle  and  booty.  He  anticipated, 
therefore,  an  easy  victory.  He  now  sallied  forth  from  the  city, 
and  took  his  position  in  the  olive-fields  between  the  Christians 
and  the  city ;  while  the  African  horsemen  were  stationed  on 
each  wing,  with  instructions  to  hem  in  the  Christians  on  either 
side,  for  he  was  only  apprehensive  of  their  escaping.  It  is 
even  said  that  he  ordered  great  quantities  of  cords  to  be 
brought  from  the  city,  and  osier  bands  to  be  made  by  the 
soldiery,  wherewith  to  bind  the  multitude  of  prisoners  about 
to  fall  into  their  hands.  His  whole  force  he  divided  into 
seven  battalions,  each  containing  from  fifteen  hundred  to  two 
thousand  cavalry.  With  these  he  prepared  to  give  battle. 

When  the  Christians  thus  saw  an  overwhelming  force  in 
front,  cavalry  hovering  on  either  flank,  and  the  deep  waters 
of  the  Guadalete  behind  them,  they  felt  the  perils  of  their 
situation. 

In  this  emergency  Alvar  Perez  de  Castro  showed  himself 
the  able  captain  that  he  had  been  represented.  Though  ap 
parently  deferring  to  the  prince  in  council,  he  virtually  took 
the  command,  riding  among  the  troops  lightly  armed,  with 
truncheon  in  hand,  encouraging  every  one  by  word  and  look 
and  fearless  demeanor.  To  give  the  most  formidable  appear 
ance  to  their  little  host,  he  ordered  that  as  many  as  possible 
17* 


378  CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 

of  the  foot-soldiers  should  mount  upon  the  mules  and  beasts 
of  burden,  and  form  a  troop  to  be  kept  in  reserve.  Before 
the  battle  he  conferred  the  honor  of  knighthood  on  Garcia 
Perez  de  Vargas,  a  cavalier  destined  to  gain  renown  for  hardy 
deeds  of  arms. 

When  the  troops  were  all  ready  for  the  field,  the  prince 
exhorted  theni  as  good  Christians  to  confess  their  sins  and 
obtain  absolution.  There  was  a  goodly  number  of  priests 
and  friars  with  the  army,  as  there  generally  was  with  all  the 
plundering  expeditions  of  this  holy  war,  but  there  were  not 
enough  to  confess  all  the  army ;  those,  therefore,  who  could  not 
have  a  priest  or  monk  for  the  purpose,  confessed  to  each  other. 

Among  the  cavaliers  were  two  noted  for  their  valor;  but 
who,  though  brothers-in-law,  lived  in  mortal  feud.  One  was 
Diego  Perez,  vassal  to  Alvar  Perez  and  brother  to  him  who 
had  just  been  armed  knight ;  the  other  was  Pero  Miguel, 
both  natives  of  Toledo.  Diego  Perez  was  the  one  who  had 
given  cause  of  offence.  He  now  approached  his  adversary 
and  asked  his  pardon  for  that  day  only ;  that,  in  a  time  of 
such  mortal  peril  there  might  not  be  enmity  and  malice  in 
their  hearts.  The  priests  added  their  exhortations  to  this 
request,  but  Pero  Miguel  sternly  refused  to  pardon.  When 
this  was  told  to  the  prince  and  Don  Alvar,  they  likewise  en 
treated  Don  Miguel  to  pardon  his  brother-in-law.  "  I  will," 
replied  he,  "  if  he  will  come  to  my  arms  and  embrace  me  as 
a  brother."  But  Diego  Perez  declined  the  fraternal  embrace, 
for  he  saw  danger  in  the  eye  of  Pero  Miguel,  and  he  knew 
his  savage  strength  and  savage  nature,  and  suspected  that  he 
meant  to  strangle  him.  So  Pero  Miguel  went  into  battle 
without  pardoning  his  enemy  who  had  implored  forgiveness. 

At  this  time,  say  the  old  chroniclers,  the  shouts  and  yells 


CHRONICLE    OF   FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  379 

of  the  Moorish  army,  the  sound  of  their  cymbals,  kettle-drums, 
and  other  instruments  of  warlike  music,  were  so  great  that 
heaven  and  earth  seemed  commingled  and  confounded.  In 
regarding  the  storm  of  battle  about  to  overwhelm  him,  Alvar 
Perez  saw  that  the  only  chance  was  to  form  the  whole  army 
into  one  mass,  and  by  a  headlong  assault  to  break  the  centre 
of  the  enemy.  In  this  emergency  he  sent  word  to  the  prince, 
who  was  in  the  rear  with  the  reserve  and  had  five  hundred 
captives  in  charge,  to  strike  off  the  heads  of  the  captives  and 
join  him  with  the  whole  reserve.  This  bloody  order  was 
obeyed.  The  prince  came  to  the  front,  all  formed  together 
in  one  dense  column,  and  then,  with  the  war-cry  "  Santiago ! 
Santiago !  Castile  !  Castile ! "  charged  upon  the  centre  of  the 
enemy.  The  Moors'  line  was  broken  by  the  shock,  squadron 
after  squadron  was  thrown  into  confusion,  Moors  and  Chris 
tians  were  intermingled,  until  the  field  became  one  scene  of 
desperate,  chance-medley  fighting.  Every  Christian  cavalier 
fought  as  if  the  salvation  of  the  field  depended  upon  his  sin 
gle  arm.  Garcia  Perez  de  Vargas,  who  had  been  knighted 
just  before  the  battle,  proved  himself  worthy  of  the  honor. 
He  had  three  horses  killed  under  him,  and  engaged  in  a  des 
perate  combat  with  the  King  of  the  Azules,  whom  at  length 
he  struck  dead  from  his  horse.  This  king  had  crossed  from 
Africa  on  a  devout  expedition  in  the  cause  of  the  Prophet  Ma 
homet.  "  Verily,"  says  Antonio  Agapida,  "  he  had  his  reward." 
Diego  Perez  was  not  behind  his  brother  in  prowess  ;  and 
Heaven  favored  him  in  that  deadly  fight,  notwithstanding  that 
he  had  not  been  pardoned  by  his  enemy.  In  the  heat  of  the 
battle  he  had  broken  both  sword  and  lance ;  whereupon,  tear 
ing  off  a  great  knotted  limb  from  an  olive-tree,  he  laid  about 
him  with  such  vigor  and  manhood  that  he  who  got  one  blow 


380  CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 

in  the  head  from  that  war-club  never  needed  another.  Don 
Alvar  Perez,  who  witnessed  his  feats,  was  seized  with  delight. 
At  each  fresh  blow  that  cracked  a  Moslem  skull  he  would  cry 
out,  "  Assi !  Assi !  Diego,  Machacha  !  Machacha  !  "  — (So  !  So ! 
Diego,  smash  them!  smash  them!)  — and  from  that  day  forward 
that  strong-handed  cavalier  went  by  the  name  of  Diego  Ma 
chacha,  or  Diego  the  Smasher,  and  it  remained  the  surname 
of  several  of  his  lineage. 

At  length  the  Moors  gave  way  and  fled  for  the  gates  of 
Xerez ;  being  hotly  pursued  they  stumbled  over  the  bodies 
of  the  slain,  and  thus  many  were  taken  prisoners.  At  the  gates 
the  press  was  so  great  that  they  killed  each  other  in  striving 
to  enter;  and  the  Christian  sword  made  slaughter  under  the 
walls. 

The  Christians  gathered  spoils  of  the  field,  after  this  victory, 
until  they  were  fatigued  with  collecting  them,  and  the  precious 
articles  found  in  the  Moorish  tents  were  beyond  calculation. 
Their  camp-fires  were  supplied  with  the  shafts  of  broken 
lances,  and  they  found  ample  use  for  the  cords  and  osier  bands 
which  the  Moors  had  provided  to  bind  their  expected  captives. 

It  was  a  theme  of  much  marvel  and  solemn  meditation  that 
of  all  the  distinguished  cavaliers  who  entered  into  this  battle, 
not  one  was  lost,  excepting  the  same  Pero  Miguel  who  refused 
to  pardon  his  adversary.  What  became  of  him  no  one  could 
tell.  The  last  that  was  seen  of  him  he  was  in  the  midst  of  the 
enemy,  cutting  down  and  overturning,  for  he  was  a  valiant  war 
rior  and  of  prodigious  strength.  When  the  battle  and  pursuit 
were  at  an  end,  and  the  troops  were  recalled  by  sound  of  trum 
pet,  he  did  not  appear.  His  tent  remained  empty.  The  field 
of  battle  was  searched,  but  he  was  nowhere  to  be  found. 
Some  supposed  that,  in  his  fierce  eagerness  to  make  havoc 


CHRONICLE    OP    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  381 

among  the  Moors,  he  had  entered  the  gates  of  the  city  and 
there  been  slain ;  but  his  fate  remained  a  mere  matter  of  con 
jecture,  and  the  whole  was  considered  an  awful  warning  that 
no  Christian  should  go  into  battle  without  pardoning  those  who 
asked  forgiveness. 

"  On  this  day,"  says  the  worthy  Agapida,  "  it  pleased  Heaven 
to  work  one  of  its  miracles  in  favor  of  the  Christian  host ;  for 
the  blessed  Santiago  appeared  in  the  air  on  a  white  horse,  with 
a  white  banner  in  one  hand  and  a  sword  in  the  other,  accom 
panied  by  a  band  of  cavaliers  in  white.  This  miracle,"  he 
adds,  "  was  beheld  by  many  men  of  verity  and  worth,"  probably 
the  monks  and  priests  who  accompanied  the  army ;  "  as  well  as 
by  numbers  of  the  Moors,  who  declared  that  the  greatest  slaugh 
ter  was  effected  by  those  sainted  warriors." 

It  may  be  as  well  to  add  that  Fray  Antonio  Agapida  is  sup 
ported  in  this  marvellous  fact  by  Rodrigo,  Archbishop  of 
Toledo,  one  of  the  most  learned  and  pious  men  of  the  age,  who 
lived  at  the  time  and  records  it  in  his  chronicle.  It  is  a  matter, 
therefore,  placed  beyond  the  doubts  of  the  profane. 

NOTE  BY  THE  EDITOR.  —  A  memorandum  at  the  foot  of  this  page  of  the 
author's  manuscript,  reminds  him  to  "  notice  death  of  Queen  Beatrix  about  this 
time,"  but  the  text  continues  silent  on  the  subject.  According  to  Mariana,  she 
died  in  the  city  of  Toro  in  1235,  before  the  siege  of  Cordova.  Another  authority 
gives  the  5th  of  November,  1236,  as  the  date  of  the  decease,  which  would  be 
some  months  after  the  downfall  of  that  renowned  city.  Her  body  was  interred 
in  the  nunnery  of  Las  Huelgas  at  Burgos,  and  many  years  afterwards  removed 
to  Seville,  where  reposed  the  remains  of  her  husband. 


382  CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

A    BOLD     ATTEMPT     UPON     CORDOVA,    THE     SEAT    OF     MOORISH 

POWER. 

ABOUT  this  time  certain  Christian  cavaliers  of  the  frontiers 
received  information  from  Moorish  captives  that  the  noble  city 
of  Cordova  was  negligently  guarded,  so  that  the  suburbs  might 
easily  be  surprised.  They  immediately  concerted  a  bold  at 
tempt,  and  sent  to  Pedro  and  Alvar  Perez,  who  were  at  Martos, 
entreating  them  to  aid  them  with  their  vassals.  Having  col 
lected  a  sufficient  force,  and  prepared  scaling-ladders,  they  ap 
proached  the  city  on  a  dark  night  in  January,  amid  showers  of 
rain  and  howling  blasts,  which  prevented  their  footsteps  being 
heard.  Arrived  at  the  foot  of  the  ramparts  they  listened,  but 
could  hear  no  sentinel.  The  guards  had  shrunk  into  the  watch- 
towers  for  shelter  from  the  pelting  storrn,  and  the  garrison  was 
in  profound  sleep,  for  it  was  the  mid-watch  of  the  night. 

Some,  disheartened  by  the  difficulties  of  the  place,  were  for 
abandoning  the  attempt,  but  Domingo  Muiioz,  their  adalid,  or 
guide,  encouraged  them.  Silently  fastening  ladders  together 
so  as  to  be  of  sufficient  length,  they  placed  them  against  one  of 
the  towers.  The  first  who  mounted  were  Alvar  Colodro  and 
Benito  de  Banos,  who  were  dressed  as  Moors  and  spoke  the 
Arabic  language.  The  tower  which  they  scaled  is  to  this  day 
called  the  tower  of  Alvar  Colodro.  Entering  it  suddenly  but 
silently,  they  found  four  Moors  asleep,  whom  they  seized  and 


CHRONICLE    OP    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  383 

threw  over  the  battlements,  and  the  Christians  below  im 
mediately  dispatched  them.  By  this  time  a  number  more  of 
Christians  had  mounted  the  ladder,  and  sallying  forth,  sword  in 
hand,  upon  the  wall,  they  gained  possession  of  several  towers 
and  of  the  gate  of  Martos.  Throwing  open  the  gate,  Pero 
Ruyz  Tabur  galloped  in  at  the  head  of  a  squadron  of  horse, 
and  by  the  dawn  of  day  the  whole  suburbs  of  Cordova,  called 
the  Axarquia,  were  in  their  possession ;  the  inhabitants,  having 
hastily  gathered  such  of  their  most  valuable  effects  as  they 
could  carry  with  them,  and  taken  refuge  in  the  city. 

The  cavaliers  now  barricaded  every  street  of  the  suburbs  ex 
cepting  the  principal  one,  which  was  broad  and  straight ;  the 
Moors,  however,  made  frequent  sallies  upon  them,  or  showered 
down  darts  and  arrows  and  stones  from  the  walls  and  towers 
of  the  city.  The  cavaliers  soon  found  that  they  had  got  into 
warm  quarters,  which  it  would  cost  them  blood  and  toil  to 
maintain.  They  sent  off  messengers,  therefore,  to  Don  Alvar 
Perez,  then  at  Martos,  and  to  King  Fernando,  at  Benevente, 
craving  instant  aid.  The  messenger  to  the  king  travelled  day 
and  night,  and  found  the  king  at  table ;  when,  kneeling  down, 
he  presented  the  letter  with  which  he  was  charged. 

No  sooner  had  the  king  read  the  letter  than  he  called  for 
horse  and  weapon.  All  Benevente  instantly  resounded  with  the 
clang  of  arms  and  tramp  of  steed ;  couriers  galloped  off  in  every 
direction,  rousing  the  towns  and  villages  to  arms,  and  ordering 
every  one  to  join  the  king  on  the  frontier.  "  Cordova !  Cor 
dova  ! "  was  the  war-cry,  —  that  proud  city  of  the  infidels  !  that 
seat  of  Moorish  power !  The  king  waited  not  to  assemble  a 
great  force,  but,  within  an  hour  after  receiving  the  letter,  was  on 
the  road  with  a  hundred  good  cavaliers. 

It  was  the  depth  of  winter  ;  the  rivers  were  swollen  with  rain. 


384  CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 

The  royal  party  were  often  obliged  to  halt  on  the  bank  of  some 
raging  stream  until  its  waters  should  subside.  The  king  was 
all  anxiety  and  impatience.  Cordova !  Cordova  !  was  the  prize 
to  be  won,  and  the  cavaliers  might  be  driven  out  of  the  sub 
urbs  before  he  could  arrive  to  their  assistance. 

Arrived  at  Cordova,  he  proceeded  to  the  bridge  of  Alcolea, 
where  he  pitched  his  tents  and  displayed  the  royal  standard. 

Before  the  arrival  of  the  king,  Alvar  Perez  had  hastened 
from  the  castle  of  Martos  with  a  body  of  troops,  and  thrown 
himself  into  the  suburbs.  Many  warriors,  both  horse  and  foot, 
had  likewise  hastened  from  the  frontiers  and  from  the  various 
towns  to  which  the  king  had  sent  his  mandates.  Some  came 
to  serve  the  king,  others  out  of  devotion  to  the  holy  faith,  some 
to  gain  renown,  and  not  a  few  to  aid  in  plundering  the  rich 
city  of  Cordova.  There  were  many  monks  also  who  had  come 
for  the  glory  of  God  and  the  benefit  of  their  convents. 

When  the  Christians  in  the  suburbs  saw  the  royal  standard 
floating  above  the  camp  of  the  king  they  shouted  for  joy,  and 
in  the  exultation  of  the  moment  forgot  all  past  dangers  and 
hardships. 


CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  385 


CHAPTER  VHI. 

A    SPY   IN   THE    CHRISTIAN    CAMP. DEATH    OF    ABEN     HUD.  — 

A     VITAL     BLOW     TO     MOSLEM     POWER.  SURRENDER      OF 

CORDOVA    TO    KING   FERNANDO. 

ABEN  HUD,  the  Moorish  chief,  who  had  been  defeated  by 
Alvar  Perez  and  Prince  Alonzo  before  Xerez,  was  at  this  time 
in  Ecija  with  a  large  force,  and  disposed  to  hasten  to  the  aid 
of  Cordova,  but  his  recent  defeat  had  made  him  cautious.  He 
had  in  his  camp  a  Christian  cavalier,  Don  Lorenzo  Xuares  by 
name,  who  had  been  banished  from  Castile  by  King  Fernando. 
This  cavalier  offered  to  go  as  a  spy  into  the  Christian  camp, 
accompanied  by  three  Christian  horsemen,  and  to  bring  ac 
counts  of  its  situation  and  strength.  His  offer  was  gladly 
accepted,  and  Aben  Hud  promised  to  do  nothing  with  his 
forces  until  his  return. 

Don  Lorenzo  set  out  privately  with  his  companions,  and  when 
he  came  to  the  end  of  the  bridge  he  alighted  and  took  one  of 
the  three  with  him,  leaving  the  other  two  to  guard  the  horses. 
He  entered  the  camp  without  impediment,  and  saw  that  it  was 
small  and  of  but  little  force ;  for,  though  recruits  had  repaired 
from  all  quarters,  they  had  as  yet  arrived  in  but  scanty  numbers. 

As  Don  Lorenzo  approached  the  camp  he  saw  a  montero 
who  stood  sentinel.  "  Friend,"  said  he,  "  do  me  the  kindness 
to  call  to  me  some  person  who  is  about  the  king,  as  I  have 
something  to  tell  him  of  great  importance."  The  sentinel  went 


386  CHRONICLE    OF   FERNANDO    THE    SAINT 

in  and  brought  out  Don  Otiella.  Don  Lorenzo  took  him  aside 
and  said,  "  Do  you  not  know  me  ?  I  am  Don  Lorenzo.  I  pray 
you  tell  the  king  that  I  entreat  permission  to  enter  and  com 
municate  matters  touching  his  safety." 

Don  Otiella  went  in  and  awoke  the  king,  who  was  sleeping, 
and  obtained  permission  for  Don  Lorenzo  to  enter.  When  the 
king  beheld  him  he  was  wroth  at  his  presuming  to  return  from 
exile  ;  but  Don  Lorenzo  replied,  —  "  Senor,  your  majesty  ban 
ished  me  to  the  land  of  the  Moors  to  do  me  harm,  but  I  believe 
it  was  intended  by  Heaven  for  the  welfare  both  of  your  majesty 
and  myself."  Then  he  apprised  the  king  of  the  intention  of 
Aben  Hud  to  come  with  a  great  force  against  him,  and  of 
the  doubts  and  fears  he  entertained  lest  the  army  of  the  king 
should  be  too  powerful.  Don  Lorenzo,  therefore,  advised  the 
king  to  draw  off  as  many  troops  as  could  be  spared  from  the 
suburbs  of  Cordova,  and  to  give  his  camp  as  formidable  an 
aspect  as  possible ;  and  that  he  would  return  and  give  Aben 
Hud  such  an  account  of  the  power  of  the  royal  camp  as  would 
deter  him  from  the  attack.  "  If,"  continued  Don  Lorenzo,  "  I 
fail  in  diverting  him  from  his  enterprise,  I  will  come  off  with 
all  my  vassals  and  offer  myself,  and  all  I  can  command,  for  the 
service  of  your  majesty,  and  hope  to  be  accepted  for  my 
good  intentions.  As  to  what  takes  place  in  the  Moorish  camp, 
from  hence,  in  three  days,  I  will  send  your  majesty  letters  by 
this  my  squire." 

The  king  thanked  Don  Lorenzo  for  his  good  intentions, 
and  pardoned  him,  and  took  him  as  his  vassal ;  and  Don 
Lorenzo  said :  "  I  beseech  your  majesty  to  order  that  for  three 
or  four  nights  there  be  made  great  fires  in  various  parts  of  the 
camp,  so  that  in  case  Aben  Hud  should  send  scouts  by  night, 
there  may  be  the  appearance  of  a  great  host.  The  king 


CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  387 

promised  it  should  be  done,  and  Don  Lorenzo  took  his  leave  ; 
rejoining  his  companions  at  the  bridge,  they  mounted  their 
horses  and  travelled  all  night  and  returned  to  Ecija. 

When  Don  Lorenzo  appeared  in  presence  of  Aben  Hud 
he  had  the  air  of  one  fatigued  and  careworn.  To  the  in 
quiries  of  the  Moor  he  returned  answers  full  of  alarm,  mag 
nifying  the  power  and  condition  of  the  royal  forces.  "  Senor," 
added  he,  "  if  you  would  be  assured  of  the  truth  of  what  I 
say,  send  out  your  scouts,  and  they  will  behold  the  Christian 
tents  whitening  all  the  banks  of  the  Guadalquivir,  and  cover 
ing  the  country  as  the  snow  covers  the  mountains  of  Granada  ; 
or  at  night  they  will  see  fires  on  hill  and  dale  illumining  all 
the  land." 

This  intelligence  redoubled  the  doubts  and  apprehensions 
of  Aben  Hud.  On  the  following  day  two  Moorish  horsemen 
arrived  in  all  haste  from  Zaen,  King  of  Valencia,  informing 
him  that  King  James  of  Aragon  was  coming  against  that 
place  with  a  powerful  army,  and  offering  him  the  supremacy 
of  the  place  if  he  would  hasten  with  all  speed  to  its  relief. 

Aben  Hud,  thus  perplexed  between  two  objects,  asked  ad 
vice  of  his  counsellors,  among  whom  was  the  perfidious  Don 
Lorenzo.  They  observed  that  the  Christians,  though  they  had 
possession  of  the  suburbs  of  Cordova,  could  not  for  a  long 
time  master  the  place.  He  would  .have  time,  therefore,  to 
relieve  Valencia,  and  then  turn  his  arms  'and  those  of  King 
Zaen  against  the  host  of  King  Fernando. 

Aben  Hud  listened  to  their  advice,  and  marched  immedi 
ately  for  Almeria,  to  take  thence  his  ships  to  guard  the  port 
of  Valencia  While  at  Almeria  a  Moor  named  Aben  Arra- 
min,  and  who  was  his  especial  favorite,  invited  him  to  a  ban 
quet.  The  unsuspecting  Aben  Hud  threw  off  his  cares  for 


388  CHRONICLE    OF   FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 

the  time,  and  giving  loose  to  conviviality  in  the  house  of  his 
favorite,  drank  freely  of  the  wine-cup  that  was  insidiously 
pressed  upon  him,  until  he  became  intoxicated.  He  was  then 
suffocated  by  the  traitor  in  a  trough  of  water,  and  it  was  given 
out  that  he  had  died  of  apoplexy. 

At  the  death  of  Aben  Hud,  his  host  fell  asunder,  and  every 
one  hied  him  to  his  home,  whereupon  Don  Lorenzo  and  the 
Christians  who  were  with  him  hastened  to  King  Fernando,  by 
whom  they  were  graciously  received  and  admitted  into  his 
royal  service. 

The  death  of  Aben  Hud  was  a  vital  blow  to  Moslem  power, 
and  spread  confusion  throughout  Andalusia.  When  the 
people  of  Cordova  heard  of  it,  and  of  the  dismemberment 
of  his  army,  all  courage  withered  from  their  hearts.  Day 
after  day  the  army  of  King  Fernando  was  increasing ;  the 
roads  were  covered  with  foot-soldiers  hastening  to  his  stand 
ard  ;  every  hidalgo  who  could  bestride  a  horse  spurred  to  the 
banks  of  the  Guadalquivir  to  be  present  at  the  downfall  of 
Cordova.  The  noblest  cavaliers  of  Castile  were  continually 
seen  marching  into  the  camp  with  banners  flying  and  long 
trains  of  retainers. 

The  inhabitants  held  out  as  long  as  there  was  help  or  hope  ; 
but  they  were  exhausted  by  frequent  combats  and  long  and 
increasing  famine,  and  now  the  death  of  Aben  Hud  cut  off 
all  chance  of  succor.  With  sad  and  broken  spirits,  therefore, 
they  surrendered  their  noble  city  to  King  Fernando,  after 
a  siege  of  six  months  and  six  days.  The  surrender  took 
place  on  Sunday,  the  twenty-ninth  day  of  July,  the  feast  of 
the  glorious  Apostles  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul,  in  the  year  of 
the  Incarnation  one  thousand  two  hundred  and  thirty-six. 

The  inhabitants  were  permitted  to  march  forth  in  personal 


CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  389 

safety,  but  to  take  nothing  with  them.  "  Thus,"  exclaims  the 
pious  Agapida,  "  was  the  city  of  Cordova,  the  queen  of  the 
cities  of  Andalusia,  which  so  long  had  been  the  seat  of  the 
power  and  grandeur  of  the  Moors,  cleansed  from  all  the  im 
purities  of  Mahomet  and  restored  to  the  dominion  of  the 
true  faith." 

King  Fernando  immediately  ordered  the  cross  to  be  ele 
vated  on  the  tower  of  the  principal  mosque,  and  beside  it  the 
royal  standard ;  while  the  bishops,  the  clergy,  and  all  the  peo 
ple  chanted,  Te  Deum  Laudamus,  as  a  song  of  triumph  for 
this  great  victory  of  the  faith.* 

The  king,  having  now  gained  full  possession  of  the  city,  be 
gan  to  repair,  embellish,  and  improve  it.  The  grand  mosque, 
the  greatest  and  most  magnificent  in  Spain,  was  now  converted 
into  a  holy  Catholic  church.  The  bishops  and  other  clergy 
walked  round  it  in  solemn  procession,  sprinkling  holy  water 
in  every  nook  and  corner,  and  performing  all  other  rites  and 
ceremonies  necessary  to  purify  and  sanctify  it.  They  erected 
an  altar  in  it,  also,  in  honor  of  the  Virgin,  and  chanted  masses 
with  great  fervor  and  unction.  In  this  way  they  consecrated 
it  to  the  true  faith,  and  made  it  the  cathedral  of  the  city. 

In  this  mosque  were  found  the  bells  of  the  church  of  San 
lago  in  Gallicia,  which  the  Alhagib  Almanzor,  in  the  year  of 
our  Redemption  nine  hundred  and  seventy-five,  had  brought 
off  in  triumph  and  placed  here,  turned  with  their  mouths 
upward  to  serve  as  lamps,  and  remain  shining  mementos  of 
his  victory.  King  Fernando  ordered  that  these  bells  should 
be  restored  to  the  church  of  San  lago ;  and  as  Christians  had 
been  obliged  to  bring  those  bells  hither  on  their  shoulders,  so 
infidels  were  compelled  in  like  manner  to  carry  them  back. 

*  Cron.  Gen.  de  Espana,  part  4.    Bleda,  lib.  4,  c.  10. 


390  CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 

Great  was  the  popular  triumph  when  these  bells  had  their 
tongues  restored  to  them  and  were  once  more  enabled  to  fill 
the  air  with  their  holy  clangor. 

Having  ordered  all  things  for  the  security  and  welfare  of 
the  city,  the  king  placed  it  under  the  government  of  Don 
Tello  Alonzo  de  Meneses ;  he  appointed  Don  Alvar  Perez 
de  Castro,  also,  general  of  the  frontier,  having  his  stronghold 
in  the  castle  of  the  rock  of  Martos.  The  king  then  returned, 
covered  with  glory,  to  Toledo. 

The  fame  of  the  recovery  of  the  renowned  city  of  Cordova, 
which  for  five  hundred  and  twenty-two  years  had  been  in  the 
power  of  the  infidels,  soon  spread  throughout  the  kingdom, 
and  people  came  crowding  from  every  part  to  inhabit  it.  The 
gates  which  lately  had  been  thronged  with  steel-clad  warriors 
were  now  besieged  by  peaceful  wayfarers  of  all  kinds, 
conducting  trains  of  mules  laden  with  their  effects  and  all 
their  household  wealth ;  and  so  great  was  the  throng  that  in 
a  little  while  there  were  not  houses  sufficient  to  receive  them. 

King  Fernando,  having  restored  the  bells  to  San  lago,  had 
others  suspended  in  the  tower  of  the  mosque,  whence  the 
Muezzin  had  been  accustomed  to  call  the  Moslems  to  their 
worship.  "  When  the  pilgrims,"  says  Fray  Antonio  Agapida, 
"  who  repaired  to  Cordova  heard  the  holy  sound  of  these  bells 
chiming  from  the  tower  of  the  cathedral,  their  hearts  leaped 
for  joy  and  they  invoked  blessings  on  the  head  of  the  pious 
King  Fernando." 


CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  391 


CHAPTER  IX. 

MARRIAGE    OF    KING    FERNANDO     TO     THE    PRINCESS    JUANA. 

FAMINE    AT    CORDOVA. DON    ALVAR   PEREZ. 

WHEN  Queen  Berenguela  beheld  King  Fernando  returning 
in  triumph  from  the  conquest  of  Cordova,  her  heart  was 
lifted  up  with  transport,  for  there  is  nothing  that  more  rejoices 
the  heart  of  a  mother  than  the  true  glory  of  her  son.  The 
queen,  however,  as  has  been  abundantly  shown,  was  a  woman 
of  great  sagacity  and  forecast.  She  considered  that  upwards 
of  two  years  had  elapsed  since  the  death  of  the  Queen  Beatrix, 
and  that  her  son  was  living  in  widowhood.  It  is  true  he  was 
of  quiet  temperament,  and  seemed  sufficiently  occupied  by  the 
cares  of  government  and  the  wars  for  the  faith ;  so  that  ap 
parently  he  had  no  thought  of  further  matrimony;  but  the 
shrewd  mother  considered  likewise  that  he  was  in  the  prime 
and  vigor  of  his  days,  renowned  in  arms,  noble  and  com 
manding  in  person,  and  gracious  and  captivating  in  manners, 
and  surrounded  by  the  temptations  of  a  court.  True,  he  was 
a  saint  in  spirit,  but  after  all  in  flesh  he  was  a  man,  and 
might  be  led  away  into  those  weaknesses  very  incident  to,  but 
highly  unbecoming  of,  the  exalted  state  of  princes.  The  good 
mother  was  anxious,  therefore,  that  he  should  enter  again  into 
the  secure  and  holy  state  of  wedlock. 

King  Fernando,  a  mirror  of  obedience  to  his  mother, 
readily  concurred  with  her  views  in  the  present  instance,  and 


392  CHRONICLE   OF   FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 

left  it  to  her  judgment  and  discretion  to  make  a  choice  for  him. 
The  choice  fell  upon  the  Princess  Juana,  daughter  of  the 
Count  of  Pothier,  and  a  descendant  of  Louis  the  Seventh  of 
France.  The  marriage  was  negotiated  by  Queen  Berenguela 
with  the  Count  of  Pothier ;  and  the  conditions  being  satis 
factorily  arranged,  the  princess  was  conducted  in  due  state  to 
Burgos,  where  the  nuptials  were  celebrated  with  great  pomp 
and  ceremony. 

The  king,  as  well  as  his  subjects,  was  highly  satisfied  with 
the  choice  of  the  sage  Berenguela,  for  the  bride  was  young, 
beautiful,  and  of  stately  form,  and  conducted  herself  with  ad 
mirable  suavity  and  grace. 

After  the  rejoicings  were  over,  King  Fernando  departed 
with  his  bride,  and  visited  the  principal  cities  and  towns  of 
Castile  and  Leon ;  receiving  the  homage  of  his  subjects,  and 
administering  justice  according  to  the  primitive  forms  of 
those  days,  when  sovereigns  attended  personally  to  the  peti 
tions  and  complaints  of  their  subjects,  and  went  about  hearing 
causes  and  redressing  grievances. 

In  the  course  of  his  progress,  hearing  while  at  Toledo  of 
a  severe  famine  which  prevailed  at  Cordova,  he  sent  a  large 
supply  of  money  to  that  city,  and  at  the  same  time  issued 
orders  to  various  parts,  to  transport  thither  as  much  grain  as 
possible.  The  calamity,  however,  went  on  increasing.  The 
conquest  of  Cordova  had  drawn  thither  great  multitudes,  ex 
pecting  to  thrive  on  the  well-known  fertility  and  abundance 
of  the  country.  But  the  Moors,  in  the  agitation  of  the  time, 
had  almost  ceased  to  cultivate  their  fields ;  the  troops  helped 
to  consume  the  supplies  on  hand ;  there  were  few  hands  to 
labor  and  an  infinity  of  mouths  to  eat,  and  the  cry  of  famine 
"went  on  daily  growing  more  intense. 


CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  393 

Upon  this,  Don  Alvar  Perez,  who  had  command  of  the  fron 
tier,  set  off  to  represent  the  case  in  person  to  the  king ;  for 
one  living  word  from  the  mouth  is  more  effective  than  a 
thousand  dead  words  from  the  pen.  He  found  the  king  at 
Valladolid,  deeply  immersed  in  the  religious  exercises  of  Holy 
Week,  and  much  did  it  grieve  this  saintly  monarch,  say  his 
chroniclers,  to  be  obliged  even  for  a  moment  to  quit  the  holy 
quiet  of  the  church  for  the  worldly  bustle  of  the  palace,  to 
lay  by  the  saint  and  enact  the  sovereign.  Having  heard  the 
representations  of  Don  Alvar  Perez,  he  forthwith  gave  him 
ample  funds  wherewith  to  maintain  his  castles,  his  soldiers, 
and  even  the  idlers  who  thronged  about  the  frontier,  and  who 
would  be  useful  subjects  when  the  times  should  become  settled. 
Satisfied  also  of  the  zeal  and  loyalty  of  Alvar  Perez,  which 
had  been  so  strikingly  displayed  in  the  present  instance,  he 
appointed  him  adelantado  of  the  whole  frontier  of  Andalusia,  — 
an  office  equivalent  to  that  at  present  called  viceroy.  Don 
Alvar  hastened  back  to  execute  his  mission  and  enter  upon 
his  new  office.  He  took  his  station  at  Martos,  in  its  rock-built 
castle,  which  was  the  key  of  all  that  frontier,  —  whence  he 
could  carry  relief  to  any  point  of  his  command,  and  could  make 
occasional  incursions  into  the  territories.  The  following  chap 
ter  will  show  the  cares  and  anxieties  which  awaited  him  in 
his  new  command. 

VOL.  I.  18 


394  CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 


CHAPTER  X. 

ABEN  ALHAMAR,  FOUNDER  OF  THE  ALHAMBRA.  —  FORTIFIES 
GRANADA  AND  MAKES  IT  HIS  CAPITAL.  —  ATTEMPTS  TO 
SURPRISE  THE  CASTLE  OF  MARTOS. PERIL  OF  THE  FOR 
TRESS.  —  A  WOMAN'S  STRATAGEM  TO  SAVE  IT.  —  DIEGO 

PEREZ,    THE     SMASHER.  —  DEATH    OF    COUNT     ALVAR    PEREZ 
DE    CASTRO. 

ON  the  death  of  Aben  Hud,  the  Moorish  power  in  Spain 
was  broken  up  into  factions,  as  has  already  been  mentioned,  but 
these  factions  were  soon  united  under  one  head,  who  threatened 
to  be  a  formidable  adversary  to  the  Christians.  This  was  Mo 
hammed  ben  Alhamar,  or  Aben  Alhamar,  as  he  is  commonly 
called  in  history.  He  was  a  native  of  Arjona,  of  noble  descent, 
being  of  the  Beni  Nasar,  or  race  of  Nasar,  and  had  been  edu 
cated  in  a  manner  befitting  his  rank.  Arrived  at  manly  years, 
he  had  been  appointed  alcayde  of  Arjona  and  Jaen,  and  had 
distinguished  himself  by  the  justice  and  benignity  of  his  rule. 
He  was  intrepid  also,  and  ambitious,  and  during  the  late  dis 
sensions  among  the  Moslems  had  extended  his  territories, 
making  himself  master  of  many  strong  places. 

On  the  death  of  Aben  Hud,  he  made  a  military  circuit 
through  the  Moorish  territories,  and  was  everywhere  hailed 
with  acclamations,  as  the  only  one  who  could  save  the  Moslem 
power  in  Spain  from  annihilation.  At  length  he  entered  Gra 
nada  amidst  the  enthusiastic  shouts  of  the  populace.  Here  he 


CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  395 

was  proclaimed  king  and  found  himself  at  the  head  of  the  Mos 
lems  of  Spain,  being  the  first  of  his  illustrious  line  that  ever 
sat  upon  a  throne.  It  needs  nothing  more  to  give  lasting  re 
nown  to  Aben  Alhamar  than  to  say  he  was  the  founder  of  the 
Alhambra,  that  magnificent  monument  which  to  this  day  bears 
testimony  to  Moorish  taste  and  splendor.  As  yet,  however, 
Aben  Alhamar  had  not  time  to  indulge  in  the  arts  of  peace. 
He  saw  the  storm  of  war  that  threatened  his  newly  founded 
kingdom,  and  prepared  to  buifet  with  it.  The  territories  of 
Granada  extended  along  the  coast  from  Algeziras  almost  to 
Murcia,  and  inland  as  far  as  Jaeu  and  Huescar.  All  the  fron 
tiers  he  hastened  to  put  in  a  state  of  defence,  while  he  strongly 
fortified  the  city  of  Granada,  which  he  made  his  capital. 

By  the  Mahometan  law  every  citizen  is  a  soldier,  and  to  take 
arms  in  defence  of  the  country  and  the  faith  is  a  religious  and 
imperative  duty.  Aben  Alhamar,  however,  knew  the  unsteadi 
ness  of  hastily  levied  militia,  and  organized  a  standing  force  to 
garrison  his  forts  and  cities,  the  expense  of  which  he  defrayed 
from  his  own  revenues.  The  Moslem  warriors  from  all  parts 
now  rallied  under  his  standard,  and  fifty  thousand  Moors,  aban 
doning  Valencia  on  the  conquest  of  that  country  by  the  King 
of  Aragon,  hastened  to  put  themselves  under  the  dominion  of 
Aben  Alhamar. 

Don  Alvar  Perez,  on  returning  to  his  post,  had  intelligence 
of  all  these  circumstances,  and  perceived  that  he  had  not  suf 
ficient  force  to  make  head  against  such  a  formidable  neighbor, 
and  that  in  fact  the  whole  frontier,  so  recently  wrested  from  the 
Moors,  was  in  danger  of  being  reconquered.  With  his  old 
maxim,  therefore,  "  There  is  more  life  in  one  word  from  the 
mouth  than  in  a  thousand  words  from  the  pen,"  he  determined 
to  have  another  interview  with  King  Fernando,  and  acquaint 


396  CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 

him  with  the  imminent  dangers  impending  over  the  fron 
tier. 

He  accordingly  took  his  departure  with  great  secrecy,  leav 
ing  his  countess  and  her  women  and  donzellas  in  his  castle  of 
the  rock  of  Martos,  guarded  by  his  nephew  Don  Tello  and  forty 
chosen  men. 

The  departure  of  Don  Alvar  Perez  was  not  so  secret,  how 
ever,  but  that  Aben  Alhamar  had  notice  of  it  by  his  spies,  and 
he  resolved  to  make  an  attempt  to  surprise  the  castle  of  Mar 
tos,  which,  as  has  been  said,  was  the  key  to  all  this  frontier. 

Don  Tello,  who  had  been  left  in  command  of  the  fortress, 
was  a  young  galliard,  full  of  the  fire  of  youth,  and  he  had 
several  hardy  and  adventurous  cavaliers  with  him,  among  whom 
was  Diego  Perez  de  Vargas,  surnamed  Machacha,  or  the 
Smasher,  for  his  exploits  at  the  battle  of  Xerez  in  smashing  the 
heads  of  the  Moors  with  the  limb  of  an  olive-tree.  These  hot- 
blooded  cavaliers,  looking  out  like  hawks  from  their  mountain- 
hold,  were  seized  with  an  irresistible  inclination  to  make  a 
foray  into  the  lands  of  their  Moorish  neighbors.  On  a  bright 
morning  they  accordingly  set  forth,  promising  the  donzellas  of 
the  castle  to  bring  them  jewels  and  rich  silks,  the  spoils  of 
Moorish  women. 

The  cavaliers  had  not  been  long  gone  when  the  castle  was 
alarmed  by  the  sound  of  trumpets,  and  the  watchman  from  the 
tower  gave  notice  of  a  cloud  of  dust,  with  Moorish  banners  and 
armor  gleaming  through  it.  It  was  in  fact  the  Moorish  king, 
Aben  Alhamar,  who  pitched  his  tents  before  the  castle. 

Great  was  the  consternation  that  reigned  within  the  walls, 
for  all  the  men  were  absent,  excepting  one  or  two  necessary  for 
the  service  of  the  castle.  The  dames  and  donzellas  gave 
themselves  up  to  despair,  expecting  to  be  carried  away  captive, 


CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  397 

perhaps  to  supply  some  Moorish  harem.  The  countess,  how 
ever,  was  of  an  intrepid  spirit  and  ready  invention.  Summon 
ing  her  duenas  and  damsels,  she  made  them  arrange  their  hair, 
and  dress  themselves  like  men,  take  weapons  in  hand,  and 
show  themselves  between  the  battlements.  The  Moorish  king 
was  deceived,  and  supposed  the  fort  well  garrisoned.  He  was 
deterred,  therefore,  from  attempting  to  take  it  by  storm.  In 
the  mean  time  she  dispatched  a  messenger  by  the  postern-gate, 
with  orders  to  speed  swiftly  in  quest  of  Don  Tello,  and  tell  him 
the  peril  of  the  fortress. 

At  hearing  these  tidings,  Don  Tello  and  his  companions 
turned  their  reins  and  spurred  back  for  the  castle,  but  on  draw 
ing  nigh,  they  saw  from  a  hill  that  it  was  invested  by  a  numer 
ous  host  who  were  battering  the  walls.  It  was  an  appalling 
sight,  —  to  cut  their  way  through  such  a  force  seemed  hopeless, 
—  yet  their  hearts  were  wrung  with  anguish  when  they  thought 
of  the  countess  and  her  helpless  donzellas.  Upon  this,  Diego 
Perez  de  Vargas,  surnamed  Machacha,  stepped  forward  and  pro 
posed  to  form  a  forlorn  hope,  and  attempt  to  force  a  passage  to 
the  castle.  "  If  any  of  us  succeed,"  said  he,  "  we  may  save  the 
countess  and  the  rock ;  if  we  fall,  we  shall  save  our  souls  and 
act  the  parts  of  good  cavaliers.  This  rock  is  the  key  of  all  the 
frontier,  on  which  the  king  depends  to  get  possession  of  the 
country.  Shame  would  it  be  if  Moors  should  capture  it ;  above 
all,  if  they  should  lead  away  our  honored  countess  and  her 
ladies  captive  before  our  eyes,  while  our  lances  remain  un 
stained  by  blood  and  we  unscarred  with  a  wound.  For  my 
part,  I  would  rather  die  than  see  it.  Life  is  but  short ;  we 
should  do  in  it  our  best.  So,  in  a  word,  cavaliers,  if  you  re 
fuse  to  join  me  I  will  take  my  leave  of  you  and  do  what  I  can 
with  my  single  arm." 


398  CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 

"  Diego  Perez,"  cried  Don  Tello,  "  you  have  spoken  my  very 
wishes  ;  I  will  stand  by  you  until  the  death,  and  let  those  who 
are  good  cavaliers  and  hidalgos  follow  our  example." 

The  other  cavaliers  caught  fire  at  these  words ;  forming  a 
solid  squadron,  they  put  spurs  to  their  horses  and  rushed  down 
upon  the  Moors.  The  first  who  broke  into  the  ranks  of  the 
enemy  was  Diego  Perez,  the  Smasher,  and  he  opened  a  way  for 
the  others.  Their  only  object  was  to  cut  their  way  to  the  for 
tress  ;  so  they  fought  and  pressed  forward.  The  most  of  them 
got  to  the  rock ;  some  were  cut  off  by  the  Moors,  and  died  like 
valiant  knights,  fighting  to  the  last  gasp. 

When  the  Moorish  king  saw  the  daring  of  these  cavaliers, 
and  that  they  had  succeeded  in  reinforcing  the  garrison,  he 
despaired  of  gaining  the  castle  without  much  time,  trouble,  and 
loss  of  blood.  He  persuaded  himself,  therefore,  that  it  was  not 
worth  the  price,  and,  striking  his  tents,  abandoned  the  siege. 
Thus  the  rock  of  Martos  was  saved  by  the  sagacity  of  the 
countess  and  the  prowess  of  Diego  Perez  de  Vargas,  surnamed 
the  Smasher. 

In  the  mean  time,  Don  Alvar  Perez  de  Castro  arrived  in 
presence  of  the  king  at  Hutiel.  King  Fernando  received 
him  with  benignity,  but  seemed  to  think  his  zeal  beyond  his 
prudence ;  leaving  so  important  a  frontier  so  weakly  guarded, 
sinking  the  viceroy  in  the  courier,  and  coming  so  far  to  give 
by  word  of  mouth  what  might  easily  have  been  communicated 
by  letter.  He  felt  the  value,  however,  of  his  loyalty  and  de 
votion,  but,  furnishing  him  with  ample  funds,  requested  him 
to  lose  no  time  in  getting  back  to  his  post.  The  count  set  out 
on  his  return,  but  it  is  probable  the  ardor  and  excitement  of 
his  spirit  proved  fatal  to  him,  for  he  was  seized  with  a  violent 
fever  when  on  the  journey,  and  died  in  the  town  of  Orgaz. 


CHRONICLE    OP    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  399 


CHAPTER  XI. 

A.BEN   HUDIEL,    THE    MOORISH    KING    OF   MURCIA,  BECOMES    THE 

VASSAL    OF   KING   FERNANDO. ABEN    ALHAMAR     SEEKS    TO 

DRIVE    THE     CHRISTIANS     OUT    OF    ANDALUSIA. FERNANDO 

TAKES    THE    FIELD    AGAINST    HIM. RAVAGES  OF  THE    KING. 

HIS    LAST    MEETING    WITH    THE    QUEEN-MOTHER. 

THE  death  of  Count  Alvar  Perez  de  Castro  caused  deep 
affliction  to  King  Fernando,  for  he  considered  him  the  shield 
of  the  frontier.  While  he  was  at  Cordova,  or  at  his  rock  of 
Martos,  the  king  felt  as  assured  of  the  safety  of  the  border 
as  though  he  had  been  there  himself.  As  soon  as  he  could 
be  spared  from  Castile  and  Leon,  he  hastened  to  Cordova,  to 
supply  the  loss  the  frontier  had  sustained  in  the  person  of 
his  vigilant  lieutenant.  One  of  his  first  measures  was  to 
effect  a  truce  of  one  year  with  the  King  of  Granada,  —  a  meas 
ure  which  each  adopted  with  great  regret,  compelled  by  his 
several  policy :  King  Fernando  to  organize  and  secure  his 
recent  conquests ;  Aben  Alhamar  to  regulate  and  fortify  his 
newly  founded  kingdom.  Each  felt  that  he  had  a  powerful 
enemy  to  encounter  and  a  desperate  struggle  before  him. 

King  Fernando  remained  at  Cordova  until  the  spring  of 
the  following  year  (1241),  regulating  the  affairs  of  that  noble 
city,  assigning  houses  and  estates  to  such  of  his  cavaliers  as 
had  distinguished  themselves  in  the  conquest,  and,  as  usual, 
making  rich  donations  of  towns  and  great  tracts  of  land  to 


400  CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 

the  Church  and  to  different  religious  orders.  Leaving  his  • 
brother  Alfonso  with  a  sufficient  force  to  keep  an  eye  upon 
the  King  of  Granada  and  hold  him  in  check,  King  Fernando 
departed  for  Castile,  making  a  circuit  by  Jaen  and  Baeza 
and  Andujar,  and  arriving  in  Toledo  on  the  fourth  of  April. 
Here  he  received  important  propositions  from  Aben  Hudiel, 
the  Moorish  king  of  Murcia.  The  death  of  Aben  Hud  had 
left  that  kingdom  a  scene  of  confusion.  The  alcaydes  of 
the  different  cities  and  fortresses  were  at  strife  with  each 
other,  and  many  refused  allegiance  to  Aben  Hudiel.  The 
latter,  too,  was  in  hostility  with  Aben  Alhamar,  the  King  of 
Granada,  and  he  feared  he  would  take  advantage  of  his  truce 
with  King  Fernando,  and  the  distracted  state  of  the  kingdom 
of  Murcia,  to  make  an  inroad.  Thus  desperately  situated, 
Aben  Hudiel  had  sent  missives  to  King  Fernando,  entreating 
his  protection,  and  offering  to  become  his  vassal. 

The  King  of  Castile  gladly  closed  with  this  offer.  He 
forthwith  sent  his  son  and  heir,  the  Prince  Alfonso,  to  receive 
the  submission  of  the  King  of  Murcia.  As  the  prince  was 
young  and  inexperienced  in  these  affairs  of  state,  he  sent  with 
him  Don  Pelayo  de  Correa,  the  grand  master  of  Santiago, 
a  cavalier  of  consummate  wisdom  and  address,  and  also 
Rodrigo  Gonzalez  Giron.  The  prince  was  received  in  Murcia 
with  regal  honors ;  the  terms  were  soon  adjusted  by  which 
the  Moorish  king  acknowledged  vassalage  to  King  Fernando, 
and  ceded  to  him  one  half  of  his  revenues,  in  return  for  which 
the  king  graciously  took  him  under  his  protection.  The  al 
caydes  of  Alicant,  Elche,  Oriola,  and  several  other  places, 
agreed  to  this  covenant  of  vassalage,  but  it  was  indignantly 
spurned  by  the  Wali  of  Lorca ;  he  had  been  put  in  office  by 
Aben  Hud;  and,  now  that  potentate  was  no  more,  he  aspired 


CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  401 

to  exercise  an  independent  sway,  and  had  placed  alcaydes  of 
his  own  party  in  Mula  and  Carthagena. 

As  the  Prince  Alfonso  had  come  to  solemnize  the  act  of 
homage  and  vassalage  proposed  by  the  Moorish  king,  and 
not  to  extort  submission  from  his  subjects  by  force  of  arms, 
he  contented  himself  with  making  a  progress  through  the 
kingdom  and  receiving  the  homage  of  the  acquiescent  towns 
and  cities,  after  which  he  rejoined  his  father  in  Castile. 

It  is  conceived  by  the  worthy  Fray  Antonio  Agapida,  as 
well  as  by  other  monkish  chroniclers,  that  this  important  ac 
quisition  of  territory  by  the  saintly  Fernando  was  a  boon 
from  Heaven  in  reward  of  an  offering  which  he  made  to  God 
of  his  daughter  Berenguela,  whom  early  in  this  year  he  dedi 
cated  as  a  nun  in  the  convent  of  las  Huelgas,  in  Burgos,  — 
of  which  convent  the  king's  sister  Constanza  was  abbess.* 

About  this  time  it  was  that  King  Fernando  gave  an  in- 
sfance  of  his  magnanimity  and  his  chivalrous  disposition.  We 
have  seen  the  deadly  opposition  he  had  experienced  from 
the  haughty  house  of  Lara,  and  the  ruin  which  the  three 
brothers  brought  upon  themselves  by  their  traitorous  hostility. 
The  anger  of  the  king  was  appeased  by  their  individual  ruin  ; 
he  did  not  desire  to  revenge  himself  upon  their  helpless  fami 
lies,  nor  to  break  down  and  annihilate  a  house  lofty  and  hon 
ored  in  the  traditions  of  Spain.  One  of  the  brothers,  Don 
Fernando,  had  left  a  daughter,  Dona  Sancha  Fernandez  de 
Lara;  there  happened  at  this  time  to  be  in  Spain  a  cousin- 
german  of  the  king,  a  prince  of  Portugal,  Don  Fernando  by 
name,  who  held  the  senoria  of  Serpa.  Between  this  prince 
and  Dona  Sancha  the  king  effected  a  marriage,  whence  has 
sprung  one  of  the  most  illustrious  branches  of  the  ancient 

*  Cronica  del  Hey  Santo,  cap.  13. 
18* 


402  CHRONICLE    OF   FERNANDO   THE    SAINT. 

house  of  Lara.*  The  other  daughters  of  Don  Fernando 
retained  large  possessions  in  Castile  ;  and  one  of  his  sons 
will  be  found  serving  valiantly  under  the  standard  of  the  king. 

In  the  mean  time  the  truce  with  Aben  Alhamar,  the  King 
of  Granada,  had  greatly  strengthened  the  hands  of  that  mon 
arch.  He  had  received  accessions  of  troops  from  various  parts, 
had  fortified  his  capital  and  his  frontiers,  and  now  fomented 
disturbances  in  the  neighboring  kingdom  of  Murcia,  —  en 
couraging  the  refractory  cities  to  persist  in  their  refusal  of 
vassalage,  —  hoping  to  annex  that  kingdom  to  his  own  newly 
consolidated  dominions. 

Th%e  Wali  of  Lorca  and  his  partisans,  the  alcaydes  of  Mula 
and  Carthagena,  thus  instigated  by  the  King  of  Granada,  now 
increased  in  turbulence,  and  completely  overawed  the  feeble- 
handed  Aben  Hudiel.  King  Fernando  thought  this  a  good 
opportunity  to  give  his  son  and  heir  his  first  essay  in  arms. 
He  accordingly  dispatched  the  prince  a  second  time  to  Murcia, 
accompanied  as  before  by  Don  Pelayo  de  Correa,  the  Grand 
Master  of  Santiago ;  but  he  sent  him  now  with  a  strong  mili 
tary  force,  to  play  the  part  of  a  conqueror.  The  conquest,  as 
may  be  supposed,  was  easy ;  Mula,  Lorca,  and  Carthagena  soon 
submitted,  and  the  whole  kingdom  was  reduced  to  vassalage,  — 
Fernando  henceforth  adding  to  his  other  titles  King  of 
Murcia.  "  Thus,"  says  Fray  Antonio  Agapida,  "  was  another 
precious  jewel  wrested  from  the  kingdom  of  Antichrist,  and 
added  to  the  crown  of  this  saintly  monarch." 

But  it  was  not  in  Murcia  alone  that  King  Fernando  found 
himself  called  to  contend  with  his  new  adversary  the  King  of 
Granada.  That  able  and  active  monarch,  strengthened  as  has 
been  said  during  the  late  truce,  had  made  bold  forays  in  the 

*  Notas  para  la  Vida  del  Santo  Rey,  p.  554. 


CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  403 

frontiers  recently  conquered  by  King  Fernando,  and  had  even 
extended  them  to  the  neighborhood  of  Cordova.  In  all  this 
he  had  been  encouraged  by  some  degree  of  negligence  and  in 
action  on  the  part  of  King  Fernando's  brother  Alfonso,  who 
had  been  left  in  charge  of  the  frontier.  The  prince  took  the 
field  against  Aben  Alhamar,  and  fought  him  manfully ;  but  the 
Moorish  force  was  too  powerful  to  be  withstood,  and  the  prince 
was  defeated. 

Tidings  of  this  was  sent  to  King  Fernando,  and  of  the 
great  danger  of  the  frontier,  as  Aben  Alhamar,  flushed  with 
success,  was  aiming  to  drive  the  Christians  out  of  Andalusia. 
King  Fernando  immediately  set  off  for  the  frontier,  accompa 
nied  by  the  Queen  Juana.  He  did  not  wait  to  levy  a  powerful 
force,  but  took  with  him  a  small  number,  —  knowing  the  loyalty 
of  his  subjects  and  their  belligerent  propensities,  and  that  they 
would  hasten  to  his  standard  the  moment  they  knew  he  was  in 
the  field  and  exposed  to  danger.  His  force  accordingly  in 
creased  as  he  advanced.  At  Andujar  he  met  his  brother  Al 
fonso  with  the  relics  of  his  lately  defeated  army,  —  all  brave 
and  expert  soldiers.  He  had  now  a  commanding  force,  and 
leaving  the  queen  with  a  sufficient  guard  at  Andujar,  he  set  off 
with  his  brother  Alonzo  and  Don  Nuno  Gonzalez  de  Lara, 
son  of  the  Count  Gonzalo,  to  scour  the  country  about  Arjona, 
Jaen,  and  Alcandete.  The  Moors  took  refuge  in  their  strong 
places,  whence  they  saw  with  aching  hearts  the  desolation  of 
their  country, — olive  plantations  on  fire,  vineyards  laid  waste, 
groves  and  orchards  cut  down,  and  all  the  other  modes  of  rav 
age  practised  in  these  unsparing  wars. 

The  King  of  Granada  did  not  venture  to  take  the  field ;  and 
King  Fernando  meeting  no  enemy  to  contend  with,  while  rav 
aging  the  lands  of  Alcandete,  detached  a  part  of  his*  force 


404  CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 

under  Don  Rodrigo  Fernandez  de  Castro,  a  son  of  the  brave 
Alvar  Perez  lately  deceased,  and  he  associated  with  him  Nuno 
Gonzalez,  with  orders  to  besiege  Arjona.  This  was  a  place 
dear  to  Aben  Alhamar,  the  King  of  Granada,  being  his  native 
place,  where  he  had  first  tasted  the  sweets  of  power.  Hence 
he  was  commonly  called  the  King  of  Arjona. 

The  people  of  the  place,  though  they  had  quailed  before 
King  Fernando,  despised  his  officers  and  set  them  at  defiance. 
The  king  himself,  however,  made  his  appearance  on  the  follow 
ing  day  with  the  remainder  of  his  forces,  whereupon  Arjona 
capitulated. 

While  his  troops  were  reposing  from  their  fatigues,  the  king 
made  some  further  ravages,  and  reduced  several  small  towns  to 
obedience.  He  then  sent  his  brother  Don  Alfonso  with  suffi 
cient  forces  to  carry  fire  and  sword  into  the  Vega  of  Granada. 
In  the  mean  time  he  returned  to  Andujar  to  the  Queen  Juana. 
He  merely  came,  say  the  old  chroniclers,  for  the  purpose  of 
conducting  her  to  Cordova  ;  fulfilling,  always,  his  duty  as  a  cav 
alier,  without  neglecting  that  of  a  king. 

The  moment  he  had  left  her  in  her  palace  at  Cordova,  he 
hastened  back  to  join  his  brother  in  harassing  the  territories 
of  Granada.  He  came  in  time  ;  for  Aben  Alhamar,  enraged  at 
seeing  the  destruction  of  the  Vega,  made  such  a  vigorous  sally 
that  had  Prince  Alfonso  been  alone  in  command,  he  might  have 
received  a  second  lesson  still  more  disastrous  than  the  first. 
The  presence  of  the  king,  however,  put  new  spirits  and  valor 
into  the  troops ;  the  Moors  were  driven  back  to  the  city,  and  the 
Christians  pursued  them  to  the  very  gates.  As  the  king  had 
not  sufficient  forces  with  him  to  attempt  the  capture  of  this 
place,  he  contented  himself  with  the  mischief  he  had  done,  and, 
with  some  more  which  he  subsequently  effected,  he  returned  to 
Cordova  to  let  his  troops  rest  from  their  fatigues. 


CHRONICLE    OF   FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  405 

While  the  king  was  in  this  city  a  messenger  arrived  from  his 
mother,  the  Queen  Berenguela,  informing  him  of  her  intention 
of  coming  to  pay  him  a  visit.  A  long  time  had  elapsed  since 
they  had  seen  each  other,  and  her  extreme  age  rendered  her 
anxious  to  embrace  her  son.  The  king,  to  prevent  her  from 
taking  so  long  a  journey,  set  off  to  meet  her,  taking  with  him 
his  Queen  Juana.  The  meeting  took  place  in  Pezuelo  near 
Burgos,*  and  was  affecting  on  both  sides,  for  never  did  son  and 
mother  love  and  honor  each  other  more  truly.  In  this  inter 
view  the  queen  represented  her  age  and  increasing  weakness, 
and  her  incapacity  to  cope  with  the  fatigues  of  public  affairs ; 
of  which  she  had  always  shared  the  burden  with  the  king;  she 
therefore  signified  her  wish  to  retire  to  her  convent,  to  pass  the 
remnant  of  her  days  in  holy  repose.  King  Fernando,  who  had 
ever  found  in  his  mother  his  ablest  counsellor  and  best  support, 
entreated  her  not  to  leave  his  side  in  these  arduous  times, 
when  the  King  of  Granada  on  one  side,  and  the  King  of  Seville 
on  the  other,  threatened  to  put  all  his  courage  and  resources  to 
the  trial.  A  long  and  earnest,  yet  tender  and  affectionate,  con 
versation  succeeded  between  them,  which  resulted  in  the  queen- 
mother's  yielding  to  his  solicitations.  The  illustrious  son  and 
mother  remained  together  six  weeks,  enjoying  each  other's  so 
ciety,  after  which  they  separated,  —  the  king  and  queen  for  the 
frontier,  and  the  queen-mother  for  Toledo.  They  were  never 
to  behold  each  other  again  upon  earth,  for  the  king  never  re 
turned  to  Castile. 

*  Some  chronicles,  through  mistake,  make  it  Pezuelo  near  Ciudad  Real,  in  the 
mountains  on  the  confines  of  Granada. 


406  CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

KING     FERNANDO'S     EXPEDITION     TO     ANDALUSIA. SIEGE     OF 

JAEN. SECRET    DEPARTURE    OF    ABEN    ALHAMAR    FOR    THE 

CHRISTIAN    CAMP. HE    ACKNOWLEDGES    HIMSELF   THE  VAS 
SAL    OF    THE    KING,   WHO    ENTERS    JAEN    IN   TRIUMPH. 

IT  was  in  the  middle  of  August,  1245,  that  King  Fernando 
set  out  on  his  grand  expedition  to  Andalusia,  whence  he  was 
never  to  return.  All  that  autumn  he  pursued  the  same  de 
structive  course  as  in  his  preceding  campaigns,  laying  waste 
the  country  with  fire  and  sword  in  the  vicinity  of  Jaen  and  to 
Alcala  la  Real.  The  town,  too,  of  Illora,  built  on  a  lofty  rock 
and  fancying  itself  secure,  was  captured  and  given  a  prey  to 
flames,  which  was  as  a  bale-fire  to  the  country.  Thence  he 
descended  into  the  beautiful  Vega  of  Granada,  ravaging  that 
earthly  paradise.  Aben  Alhamar  sallied  forth  from  Granada 
with  what  forces  he  could  collect,  and  a  bloody  battle  ensued 
about  twelve  miles  from  Granada.  A  part  of  the  troops  of 
Aben  Alhamar  were  hasty  levies,  inhabitants  of  the  city,  and 
but  little  accustomed  to  combat ;  they  lost  courage,  gave  way, 
and  threw  the  better  part  of  the  troops  in  disorder ;  a  retreat 
took  place  which  ended  in  a  headlong  flight,  in  which  there 
was  great  carnage.* 

Content  for  the  present  with  the  ravage  he  had  made  and 
the  victory  he  had  gained,  King  Fernando  now  drew  off  his 
*  Conde,  tome  III.  c.  5. 


CHRONICLE    OF   FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  407 

troops  and  repaired  to  his  frontier  hold  of  Martos,  where  they 
might  rest  after  their  fatigues  in  security. 

Here  he  was  joined  by  Don  Pelayo  Perez  Correa,  the  Grand 
Master  of  Santiago.  This  valiant  cavalier,  who  was  as  sage 
and  shrewd  in  council  as  he  was  adroit  and  daring  in  the  field, 

O  7 

had  aided  the  youthful  Prince  Alfonso  in  completing  the  tran- 
quillization  of  Murcia,  and  leaving  him  in  the  quiet  adminstra- 
tion  of  affairs  in  that  kingdom,  had  since  been  on  a  pious  and 
political  mission  to  the  court  of  Rome.  He  arrived  most 
opportunely  at  Martos,  to  aid  the  king  with  his  counsels,  for 
there  was  none  in  whose  wisdom  and  loyalty  the  king  had 
more  confidence. 

The  grand  master  listened  to  all  the  plans  of  the  king  for 
the  humiliation  of  the  haughty  King  of  Granada ;  he  then 
gravely  but  most  respectfully  objected  to  the  course  the  king 
was  pursuing.  He  held  the  mere  ravaging  the  country  of 
little  ultimate  benefit.  It  harassed  and  irritated,  but  did  not 
destroy  the  enemy,  while  it  fatigued  and  demoralized  the  army. 
To  conquer  the  country,  they  must  not  lay  waste  the  field,  but 
take  the  towns;  so  long  as  the  Moors  retained  their  strong 
holds,  so  long  they  had  dominion  over  the  land.  He  advised, 
therefore,  as  a  signal  blow  to  the  power  of  the  Moorish  king, 
the  capture  of  the  city  of  Jaen.  This  was  a  city  of  immense 
strength,  the  bulwark  of  the  kingdom  ;  it  was  well  supplied 
with  provisions  and  the  munitions  of  war ;  strongly  garrisoned 
and  commanded  by  Abu  Orn^r,  native  of  Cordova,  a  general  of 
cavalry,  and  one  of  the  bravest  officers  of  Aben  Alhamar.  King 
Fernando  had  already  besieged  it  in  vain,  but  the  reasoning  of 
the  grand  master  had  either  convinced  his  reason  or  touched 
his  pride.  He  set  himself  down  before  the  walls  of  Jaen,  de 
claring  he  would  never  raise  the  siege  until  he  was  master  of 


408  CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 

the  place.  For  a  long  time  the  siege  was  carried  on  in  the 
depth  of  winter,  in  defiance  of  rain  and  tempests.  Aben 
Alhamar  was  in  despair ;  he  could  not  relieve  the  place ;  he 
could  not  again  venture  on  a  battle  with  the  king  after  his  late 
defeat.  He  saw  that  Jaen  must  fall,  and  feared  it  would  be 
followed  by  the  fall  of  Granada.  He  was  a  man  of  ardent 
spirit  and  quick  and  generous  impulses.  Taking  a  sudden 
resolution,  he  departed  secretly  for  the  Christian  camp,  and 
made  his  way  to  the  presence  of  King  Fernando.  "Behold 
before  you,"  said  he,  "the  King  of  Granada.  Resistance  I 
find  unavailing ;  I  come,  trusting  to  your  magnanimity  and 
good  faith,  to  put  myself  under  your  protection  and  acknowledge 
myself  your  vassal."  So  saying,  he  knelt  and  kissed  the  king's 
hand  in  token  of  homage. 

"  King  Fernando,"  say  the  old  chroniclers,  "  was  not  to  be 
outdone  in  generosity.  He  raised  his  late  enemy  from  the 
earth,  embraced  him  as  a  friend,  and  left  him  in  the  sovereignty 
of  his  dominions ;  the  good  king,  however,  was  as  politic  as  he 
was  generous.  He  received  Aben  Alhamar  as  a  vassal :  con- 

O 

ditioned  for  the  delivery  of  Jaen  into  his  hands  ;  for  the  yearly 
payment  of  one  half  of  his  revenues  ;  for  his  attendance  at  the 
cortes  as  one  of  the  nobles  of  the  empire,  and  his  aiding 
Castile  in  war  with  a  certain  number  of  horsemen." 

In  compliance  with  these  conditions,  Jaen  was  given  up  to 
the  Christian  king,  who  entered  it  in  triumph  about  the  end  of 
February.*  His  first  care  was  to  repair  in  grand  procession, 
bearing  the  holy  cross,  to  the  principal  mosque,  which  was 
purified  and  sanctified  by  the  Bishop  of  Cordova,  and  erected 
into  a  cathedral  and  dedicated  to  the  most  holy  Virgin  Mary. 

He  remained  some  time  in  Jaen,  giving  repose  to  his  troops, 

*  Notaspara  la  Vida,  &c.,  p.  562. 


CHRONICLE    OF   FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  409 

regulating  the  affairs  of  this  important  place,  disposing  of 
houses  and  estates  among  his  warriors  who  had  most  dis 
tinguished  themselves,  and  amply  rewarding  the  priests  and 
monks  who  had  aided  him  with  their  prayers. 

As  to  Aben  Alhamar,  he  returned  to  Granada  relieved  from 
apprehension  of  impending  ruin  to  his  kingdom,  but  deeply 
humiliated  at  having  to  come  under  the  yoke  of  vassalage.  He 
consoled  himself  by  prosecuting  the  arts  of  peace,  improving 
the  condition  of  his  people,  building  hospitals,  founding  insti 
tutions  of  learning,  and  beautifying  his  capital  with  those  mag 
nificent  edifices  which  remain  the  admiration  of  posterity  ;  for 
now  it  was  that  he  commenced  to  build  the  Alhambra. 

NOTE.  —  There  is  some  dispute  among  historians  as  to  the  duration  of  the 
siege  and  the  date  of  the  surrender  of  Jaen.  Some  make  the  siege  endure  eight 
months,  from  August  into  the  middle  of  April.  The  authentic  Agapida  adopts 
the  opinion  of  the  author  of  Notas  para  la  Vida  del  Santo  Rey,  &c.,  who 
makes  the  siege  begin  on  the  31st  December  and  end  about  26th  February. 


410  CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

AXATAF,  KING  OF  SEVILLE,  EXASPERATED  AT  THE  SUBMIS 
SION  OF  THE  KING  OF  GRANADA.  —  REJECTS  THE  PROP 
OSITIONS  OF  KING  FERNANDO  FOR  A  TRUCE.  —  THE  LAT 
TER  IS  ENCOURAGED  BY  A  VISION  TO  UNDERTAKE  .THE 

CONQUEST    OF   THE    CITY    OF    SEVILLE. DEATH    OF    QUEEN 

BERENGUELA. A    DIPLOMATIC    MARRIAGE. 

KING  FERNANDO  having  reduced  the  fair  kingdom  of  Gra 
nada  to  vassalage,  and  fortified  himself  in  Andalusia  by  the 
possession  of  the  strong  city  of  Jaen,  bethought  him  now  of 
returning  to  Castile.  There  was  but  one  Moorish  potentate 
in  Spain  whose  hostilities  he  had  to  fear  :  this  was  Axataf,  the 
King  of  Seville.  He  was  the  son  of  Aben  Hud,  and  suc 
ceeded  to  a  portion  of  his  territories.  Warned  by  the  signal 
defeat  of  his  father  at  Xerez,  he  had  forborne  to  take  the  field 
against  the  Christians,  but  had  spared  no  pains  and  expense 
to  put  the  city  of  Seville  in  the  highest  state  of  defence  ; 
strengthening  its  walls  and  towers,  providing  it  with  munitions 
of  war  of  all  kinds,  and  exercising  his  people  continually  in 
the  use  of  arms.  King  Fernando  was  loth  to  leave  this  great 
frontier  in  its  present  unsettled  state,  with  such  a  powerful 
enemy  in  the  neighborhood,  who  might  take  advantage  of  his 
absence  to  break  into  open  hostility  ;  still  it  was  his  policy  to 
let  the  sword  rest  in  the  sheath  until  he  had  completely  se 
cured  his  new  possessions.  He  sought,  therefore,  to  make  a 


CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  411 

truce  with  King  Axataf,  and,  to  enforce  his  propositions,  it  is 
said  he  appeared  with  his  army  before  Seville  in  May,  1246.* 
His  propositions  were  rejected,  as  it  were  at  the  very  gate. 
It  appears  that  the  King  of  Seville  was  exasperated  rather 
than  dismayed  by  the  submission  of  the  King  of  Granada. 
He  felt  that  on  himself  depended  the  last  hope  of  Islamism 
in  Spain ;  he  trusted  on  aid  from  the  coast  of  Barbary,  with 
which  his  capital  had  ready  communication  by  water ;  and  he 
resolved  to  make  a  bold  stand  in  the  cause  of  his  faith. 

King  Fernando  retired  indignant  from  before  Seville,  and 
repaired  to  Cordova,  with  the  pious  determination  to  punish 
the  obstinacy  and  humble  the  pride  of  the  infidel,  by  planting 
the  standard  of  the  cross  on  the  walls  of  his  capital.  Seville 
once  in  his  power,  the  rest  of  Andalusia  would  soon  follow, 
and  then  his  triumph  over  the  sect  of  Mahomet  would  be 
complete.  Other  reasons  may  have  concurred  to  make  him 
covet  the  conquest  of  Seville.  It  was  a  city  of  great  splen 
dor  and  wealth ;  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  fertile  country,  in 
a  genial  climate,  under  a  benignant  sky ;  and  having  by  its 
river,  the  Guadalquivir,  an  open  highway  for  commerce,  it 
was  the  metropolis  of  all  Morisma,  —  a  world  of  wealth  and 
delight  within,  itself. 

These  were  sufficient  reasons  for  aiming  at  the  conquest 
of  this  famous  city,  but  these  were  not  sufficient  to  satisfy 
the  holy  friars  who  have  written  the  history  of  this  monarch, 
and  who  have  found  a  reason  more  befitting  his  character  of 
saint.  Accordingly  we  are  told  by  the  worthy  Fray  Antonio 
Agapida,  that  at  a  time  when  the  king  was  in  deep  affliction 
for  the  death  of  his  mother,  the  Queen  Berenguela,  and  was 
praying  with  great  fervor,  there  appeared  before  him  Saint 

*  Notas  para  la  Vtda  del  Santo  Rey,  p.  572. 


412  CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 

Isidro,  the  great  Apostle  of  Spain,  who  had  been  Archbishop 
of  Seville  in  old  times,  before  the  perdition  of  Spain  by  the 
Moors.  As  the  monarch  gazed  in  reverend  wonder  at  the 
vision,  the  saint  laid  on  him  a  solemn  injunction  to  rescue  from 
the  empire  of  Mahomet  his  city  of  Seville.  "  Que  asi  la  llamo 
por  suya  en  la  patria,  suya  en  la  silla,  y  suya  en  la  pro- 
teccion."  "  Such,"  says  Agapida,  "  was  the  true  reason  why 
this  pious  king  undertook  the  conquest  of  Seville ; "  and  in 
this  assertion  he  is  supported  by  many  Spanish  chroniclers ; 
and  by  the  traditions  of  the  Church,  —  the  vision  of  San  Isidro 
being  read  to  this  day  among  its  services.* 

The  death  of  Queen  Berenguela,  to  which  we  have  just  ad 
verted,  happened  some  months  after  the  conquest  of  Jaen  and 
submission  of  Granada.  The  grief  of  the  king  on  hearing 
the  tidings,  we  are  told,  was  past  description.  For  a  time  it 
quite  overwhelmed  him.  "  Nor  is  it  much  to  be  marvelled  at," 
says  an  old  chronicler ;  "  for  never  did  monarch  lose  a  mother 
so  noble  and  magnanimous  in  all  her  actions.  She  was  indeed 
accomplished  in  all  things,  an  example  of  every  virtue,  the 
mirror  of  Castile  and  Leon  and  all  Spain,  by  whose  counsel 
and  wisdom  the  affairs  of  many  kingdoms  were  governed. 
This  noble  queen,"  continues  the  chronicler,  "  was  deplored  in 
all  the  cities,  towns,  and  villages  of  Castile  and  Leon ;  by  all 
people  great  and  small,  but  especially  by  poor  cavaliers,  to  whom 
she  was  ever  a  benefactress."  f 

Another  heavy  loss  to  King  Fernando,  about  this  time,  was 
that  of  the  Archbishop  of  Toledo,  Don  Rodrigo,  the  great 
adviser  of  the  king  in  all  his  expeditions,  and  the  prelate  who 
first  preached  the  grand  crusade  in  Spain.  He  lived  a  life  of 

*  Rodriguez,  Memorias  del  Santo  Rey,  c.  LVIII. 
t  Cronica  del  Rey  Don  Fernando,  c.  XIIT. 


CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  413 

piety,  activity,  and  zeal,  and  died  full  of  years,  of  honors,  and 
of  riches,  —  having  received  princely  estates  and  vast  revenues 
from  the  king  in  reward  of  his  services  in  the  cause. 

These  private  afflictions  for  a  time  occupied  the  royal  mind  ; 
the  king  was  also  a  little  disturbed  by  some  rash  proceedings 
of  his  son,  the  hereditary  Prince  Alfonso,  who,  being  left  in 
the  government  of  Murcia,  took  a  notion  of  imitating  his 
father  in  his  conquests,  and  made  an  inroad  into  the  Moorish 
kingdom  of  Valencia,  at  that  time  in  a  state  of  confusion. 
This  brought  on  a  collision  with  King  Jayme  of  Aragon,  sur- 
named  the  Conqueror,  who  had  laid  his  hand  upon  all  Valencia, 
as  his  by  right  of  arms.  There  was  thus  danger  of  a  rupture 
with  Aragon,  and  of  King  Fernando  having  an  enemy  on  his 
back,  while  busied  in  his  wars  in  Andalusia.  Fortunately 
King  Jayme  had  a  fair  daughter,  the  Princess  Violante;  and 
the  grave  diplomatists  of  the  two  courts  determined  that  it 
were  better  the  two  children  should  marry,  than  the  two 
fathers  should  fight.  To  this  arrangement  King  Fernando 
and  King  Jayme  gladly  assented.  They  were  both  of  the 
same  faith ;  both  proud  of  the  name  of  Christian ;  both  zeal 
ous  in  driving  Mahometanism  out  of  Spain,  and  in  augment 
ing  their  empires  with  its  spoils.  The  marriage  was  accord 
ingly  solemnized  in  Valladolid  in  the  month  of  November  in 
this  same  year;  and  now  the  saintly  King  Fernando  turned 
his  whole  energies  to  this  great  and  crowning  achievement, 
the  conquest  of  Seville,  the  emporium  of  Mahometanism  in 
Spain. 

Foreseeing,  as  long  as  the  mouth  of  the  Guadalquivir  was 
open,  the  city  could  receive  reinforcements  and  supplies  from 
Africa,  the  king  held  consultations  with  a  wealthy  man  of  Bur 
gos,  Ramon  Bonifaz,  or  Boniface,  by  name,  —  some  say  a  native 


414  CHRONICLE    OP    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 

of  France,  —  one  well  experienced  in  maritime  affairs,  and 
capable  of  fitting  out  and  managing  a  fleet.  This  man  he  con 
stituted  his  admiral,  and  sent  him  to  Biscay  to  provide  and  arm 
a  fleet  of  ships  and  galleys,  with  which  to  attack  Seville  by 
water,  while  the  king  should  invest  it  by  land. 


CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAJNT.  415 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

INVESTMENT   OF    SEVILLE. ALL    SPAIN    AROUSED  TO  ARMS. 

SURRENDER    OF   ALCALA    DEL     RIO.  —  THE    FLEET    OF    ADMI- 

I 

RAL  RAMON  BONIFAZ  ADVANCES  UP  THE  GUADALQUIVIR.  — 
DON  PELATO  CORREA  MASTER  OF  SANTIAGO. — HIS  VALOR 
OUS  DEEDS  AND  THE  MIRACLES  WROUGHT  IN  HIS  BEHALF. 

WHEN  it  was  bruited  abroad  that  King  Fernando  the  Saint 
intended  to  besiege  the  great  city  of  Seville,  all  Spain  was 
roused  to  arms.  The  masters  of  the  various  military  and  re 
ligious  orders,  the  ricos  hombres,  the  princes,  cavaliers,  hidal 
gos,  and  every  one  of  Castile  and  Leon  capable  of  bearing 
arms,  prepared  to  take  the  field.  Many  of  the  nobility  of  Cat 
alonia  and  Portugal  repaired  to  the  standard  of  the  king,  as  did 
other  cavaliers  of  worth  and  prowess  from  lands  far  beyond  the 
Pyrenees. 

Prelates,  priests,  and  monks  likewise  thronged  to  the  army, 
—  some  to  take  care  of  the  souls  of  those  who  hazarded  their 
lives  in  this  holy  enterprise,  others  with  a  zealous  determina 
tion  to  grasp  buckler  and  lance,  and  battle  with  the  arm  of  flesh 
against  the  enemies  of  God  and  the  Church. 

At  the  opening  of  spring  the  assembled  host  issued  forth  in 
shining  array  from  the  gates  of  Cordova.  After  having  gained 
possession  of  Carmona,  and  Lora,  and  Alcolea,  and  of  other 
neighboring  places,  —  some  by  voluntary  surrender,  others  by 
force  of  arms,  —  the  king  crossed  the  Guadalquivir,  with  great 


416  CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 

difficulty  and  peril,  and  made  himself  master  of  several  of  the 
most  important  posts  in  the  neighborhood  of  Seville.  Among 
these  was  Alcala  del  Rio,  a  place  of  great  consequence,  through 
which  passed  all  the  succors  from  the  mountains  to  the  city. 
This  place  was  bravely  defended  by  Axataf  in  person,  the  com 
mander  of  Seville.  He  remained  in  Alcala  with  three  hundred 
Moorish  cavaliers,  making  frequent  sallies  upon  the  Christians, 
and  effecting  great  slaughter.  At  length  he  beheld  all  the 
country  around  laid  waste,  the  grain  burnt  or  trampled  down, 
the  vineyards  torn  up,  the  cattle  driven  away  and  the  villages 
consumed ;  so  that  nothing  remained  to  give  sustenance  to  the 
garrison  or  the  inhabitants.  Not  daring  to  linger  there  any 
longer,  he  departed  secretly  in  the  night  and  retired  to  Seville, 
and  the  town  surrendered  to  King  Fernando. 

While  the  king  was  putting  Alcala  del  Rio  in  a  state  of 
defence,  Admiral  Ramon  Bonifaz  arrived  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Guadalquivir  with  a  fleet  of  thirteen  large  .ships  and 
several  small  vessels  and  galleys.  While  he  was  yet  hover 
ing  about  the  land,  he  heard  of  the  approach  of  a  great  force 
of  ships  from  Tangier,  Ceuta,  and  Seville,  and  of  an  army  to 
assail  him  from  the  shores.  In  this  peril  he  sent  in  all  speed 
for  succor  to  the  king;  when  it  reached  the  sea-coast  the 
enemy  had  not  yet  appeared;  wherefore,  thinking  it  a  false 
alarm,  the  reinforcement  returned  to  the  camp.  Scarcely,  how 
ever,  had  it  departed  when  the  Africans  came  swarming  over 
the  sea,  and  fell  upon  Ramon  Bonifaz  with  a  greatly  superior 
force.  The  admiral,  in  no  way  dismayed,  defended  himself 
vigorously, — sunk  several  of  the  enemy,  took  a  few  prizes, 
and  put  the  rest  to  flight,  remaining  master  of  the  river.  The 
king  had  heard  of  the  peril  of  the  fleet,  and,  crossing  the  ford 
of  the  river,  had  hastened  to  its  aid;  but  when  he  came  to 


CHRONICLE   OF   FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  417 

the  sea-coast,  he  found  it  victorious,  at  which  he  was  greatly 

rejoiced,  and  commanded  that  it  should  advance  higher  up  the 
.  / 

nver. 

It  was  on  the  twentieth  of  the  month  of  August  that  King 
Fernando  began  formally  the  siege  of  Seville,  having  en 
camped  his  troops,  small  in  number,  but  of  stout  hearts  and 
valiant  hands,  near  to  the  city  on  the  banks  of  the  river.  From 
hence  Don  Pelayo  Correa,  the  valiant  Master  of  Santiago,  with 
two  hundred  and  sixty  horsemen,  many  of  whom  were  warlike 
friars,  attempted  to  cross  the  river  at  the  ford  below  Aznal 
Farache.  Upon  this  Aben  Amaken,  Moorish  king  of  Niebla, 
sallied  forth  with  a  great  host  to  defend  the  pass,  and  the  cava 
liers  were  exposed  to  imminent  peril,  until  the  king  sent  one 
hundred  cavaliers  to  their  aid,  led  on  by  Rodrigo  Flores  and 
Alonzo  Tellez  and  Fernan  Dianez. 

Thus  reinforced,  the  Master  of  Santiago  scoured  the  opposite 
side  of  the  river,  and  with  his  little  army  of  scarce  four 
hundred  horsemen,  mingled  monks  and  soldiers,  spread  dismay 
throughout  the  country.  They  attacked  the  town  of  Gelbes, 
and  after  a  desperate  combat,  entered  it,  sword  in  hand,  slay 
ing  or  capturing  the  Moors  and  making  rich  booty.  They 
made  repeated  assaults  upon  the  castle  of  Triana,  and  had 
bloody  combats  with  its  garrison,  but  could  not  take  the  place. 
This  hardy  band  of  cavaliers  had  pitched  their  tents  and 
formed  their  little  camp  on  the  banks  of  the  river,  below  the 
castle  of  Aznal  Farache.  This  fortress  was  situated  on  an 
eminence  above  the  river,  and  its  massive  ruins,  remaining  at 
the  present  day,  attest  its  formidable  strength. 

When  the  Moors  from  their  castle  towers  looked  down  upon 
this  little  camp  of  Christian  cavaliers,  and  saw  them  sallying 
forth  and  careering  about  the  country  and  returning  in  the 

VOL.  i.  19 


418  CHRONICLE    OP   FERNANDO    THE   SAINT. 

evenings  with  cavalgadas  of  sheep  and  cattle,  and  mules  laden 
with  spoil,  and  long  trains  of  captives,  they  were  exceedingly 
wroth,  and  they  kept  a  watch  upon  them  and  sallied  forth  every 
day  to  fight  with  them  and  to  intercept  stragglers  from  their 
camp  and  to  carry  off  their  horses.  Then  the  cavaliers  con 
certed  together,  and  they  lay  in  ambush  one  day  in  the  road  by 
which  the  Moors  were  accustomed  to  sally  forth,  and  when  the 
Moors  had  partly  passed  their  ambush,  they  rushed  forth  and 
fell  upon  them,  and  killed  and  captured  above  three  hundred, 
and  pursued  the  remainder  to  the  very  gates  of  the  castle. 
From  that  time  the  Moors  were  so  disheartened  that  they  made 
no  further  sallies. 

Shortly  after  the  Master  of  Santiago  receiving  secret 
intelligence  that  a  Moorish  sea-captain  had  passed  from 
Seville  to  Triana,  on  his  way  to  succor  the  castle  of  Aznal 
Farache,  placed  himself,  with  a  number  of  chosen  cavaliers, 
in  ambuscade  at  a  pass  by  which  the  Moors  were  expected  to 
come.  After  waiting  a  long  time,  their  scouts  brought  word 
that  the  Moors  had  taken  another  road,  and  were  nearly  at  the 
foot  of  the  hill  on  which  stood  the  castle.  "  Cavaliers,"  cried 
the  master,  "  it  is  not  too  late  ;  let  us  first  use  our  spurs  and 
then  our  weapons,  and  if  our  steeds  prove  good,  the  day  will 
yet  be  ours."  So  saying,  he  put  spurs  to  his  horse,  and  the 
rest  following  his  example,  they  soon  came  in  sight  of  the 
Moors.  The  latter,  seeing  the  Christians  coming  after  them 
full  speed,  urged  their  horses  up  the  hill  towards  the  castle,  but 
the  Christians  overtook  them  and  slew  seven  of  those  in  the 
rear.  In  the  skirmish,  Garci  Perez  struck  the  Moorish  captain 
from  his  horse  with  a  blow  of  his  lance.  The  Christians  rushed 
forward  to  take  him  prisoner.  On  seeing  this,  the  Moors  turned 
back,  threw  themselves  between  their  commander  and  his  as- 


CHRONICLE    OF   FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  419 

sailants,  and  kept  the  latter  in  check,  while  he  was  conveyed 
into  the  castle.  Several  of  them  fell,  covered  with  wounds ; 
the  residue,  seeing  their  chieftain  safe,  turned  their  reins  and 
galloped  for  the  castle,  just  entering  in  time  to  have  the  gates 
closed  upon  their  pursuers. 

Time  and  space  permit  not  to  recount  the  many  other  valor 
ous  deeds  of  Don  Pelayo  Correa,  the  good  Master  of  Santiago, 
and  his  band  of  cavaliers  and  monks.  His  little  camp  became 
a  terror  to  the  neighborhood,  and  checked  the  sallies  of  the 
Moorish  mountaineers  from  the  Sierra  Morena.  In  one  of  his 
enterprises  he  gained  a  signal  advantage  over  the  foe,  but  the 
approach  of  night  threatened  to  defraud  him  of  his  victory. 
Then  the  pious  warrior  lifted  up  his  voice  and  supplicated  the 
Virgin  Mary  in  those  celebrated  words :  "  Santa  Maria,  deten 
tu  dia,"  (Holy  Mary,  detain  thy  day,)  for  it  was  one  of  the  days 
consecrated  to  the  Virgin.  The  blessed  Virgin  listened  to  the 
prayer  of  her  valiant  votary ;  the  daylight  continued  in  a  super 
natural  manner,  until  the  victory  of  the  good  Master  of  San 
tiago  was  completed.  In  honor  of  this  signal  favor,  he  after 
wards  erected  a  temple  to  the  Virgin  by  the  name  of  Nuestra 
Senora  de  Tentudia.* 

If  any  one  should  doubt  this  miracle,  wrought  in  favor  of 
this  pious  warrior  and  his  soldiers  of  the  cowl,  it  may  be  suf 
ficient  to  relate  another,  which  immediately  succeeded,  and 
which  shows  how  peculiarly  he  was  under  the  favor  of  Heaven. 
After  the  battle  was  over,  his  followers  were  ready  to  faint  with 
thirst,  and  could  find  no  stream  or  fountain  ;  and  when  the  good 
master  saw  the  distress  of  his  soldiers,  his  heart  was  touched 
with  compassion,  and  bethinking  himself  of  the  miracle  per 
formed  by  Moses,  in  an  impulse  of  holy  zeal  and  confidence, 

*  Zuniga,  Annales  de  Sevilla,  L.  1. 


420  CHRONICLE    OF   FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 

and  in  the  name  of  the  blessed  Virgin,  he  struck  a  dry  and 
barren  rock  with  his  lance,  and  instantly  there  gushed  forth  a 
fountain  of  water,  at  which  all  his  Christian  soldiery  drank  and 
were  refreshed.*  So  much  at  present  for  the  good  Master  of 
Santiago,  Don  Pelayo  Correa. 

*  Jacob  Paranes,  Lib.  de  los  Maeslros  de  St.  lago.     Corona  Gotica,  T.  3, 

§  xiii.    Zuniga,  Annales  de  Sevilla. 


CHRONICLE   OF, FERNANDO   THE   SAINT.  421 


CHAPTER  XV. 

KING    FERNANDO    CHANGES     HIS    CAMP.  —  GARCI     PEREZ     AND 
THE   SEVEN   MOORS. 

KING  FERNANDO  the  Saint  soon  found  his  encampment  on 
the  banks  of  the  Guadalquivir  too  much  exposed  to  the  sud 
den  sallies  and  insults  of  the  Moors.  As  the  land  was  level, 
they  easily  scoured  the  fields,  carried  off  horses  and  stragglers 
from  the  camp,  and  kept  it  in  continual  alarm.  He  drew  off, 
therefore,  to  a  securer  place,  called  Tablada,  the  same  where  at 
present  is  situated  the  hermitage  of  Nuestra  Senora  de  el  Balme. 
Here  he  had  a  profound  ditch  digged  all  round  the  camp,  to 
shut  up  the  passes  from  the  Moorish  cavalry.  He  appointed 
patrols  of  horsemen  also,  completely  armed,  who  continually 
made  the  rounds  of  the  camp,  in  successive  bands,  at  all  hours 
of  the  day  and  night.*  In  a  little  while  his  army  was  increased 
by  the  arrival  of  troops  from  all  parts,  —  nobles,  cavaliers,  and 
rich  men,  with  their  retainers,  —  nor  were  there  wanting  holy 
prelates,  who  assumed  the  warrior,  and  brought  large  squadrons 
of  well-armed  vassals  to  the  army.  Merchants  and  artificers 
now  daily  arrived,  and  wandering  minstrels,  and  people  of  all 
sorts,  and  the  camp  appeared  like  a  warlike  city,  where  rich 
and  sumptuous  merchandise  was  mingled  with  the  splendor  of 
arms ;  and  the  various  colors  of  the  tents  and  pavilions,  and 
the  fluttering  standards  and  pennons  bearing  the  painted  de- 
*  Corona  Gotica,  T.  3,  §  viii. 


422  CHRONICLE    OF   FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 

vices  of  the  proudest  houses  of  Spain,  were  gay  and  glorious 
to  behold. 

When  the  king  had  established  the  camp  in  Tablada  he 
ordered  that  every  day  the  foragers  should  sally  forth  in 
search  of  provisions  and  provender,  guarded  by  strong  bodies 
of  troops.  The  various  chiefs  of  the  army  took  turns  to  com 
mand  the  guard  who  escorted  the  foragers.  One  day  it  was  the 
turn  of  Garci  Perez,  the  same  cavalier  who  had  killed  the 
king  of  the  Azules.  He  was  a  hardy,  iron  warrior,  seasoned 
and  scarred*  in  warfare,  and  renowned  among  both  Moors  and 
Christians  for  his  great  prowess,  his  daring  courage,  and  his 
coolness  in  the  midst  of  danger.  Garci  Perez  had  lingered  in 
the  camp  until  some  time  after  the  foragers  had  departed,  who 
were  already  out  of  sight.  He  at  length  set  out  to  join  them, 
accompanied  by  'another  cavalier.  They  had  not  proceeded  far 
before  they  perceived  seven  Moorish  genetes,  or  light-horse 
men,  directly  in  their  road.  When  the  companion  of  Garci 
Perez  beheld  such  a  formidable  array  of  foes  he  paused  and 
said :  "  Senor  Perez,  let  us  return  ;  the  Moors  are  seven  and  we 
but  two,  and  there  is  no  law  in  the  duello  which  obliges  us  to 
make  front  against  such  fearful  odds." 

To  this  Garci  Perez  replied :  "  Senor,  forward,  always  for 
ward  ;  let  us  continue  on  our  road ;  those  Moors  will  never  wait 
for  us."  The  other  cavalier,  however,  exclaimed  against  such 
rashness,  and  turning  the  reins  of  his  horse,  returned  as  pri 
vately  as  possible  to  the  camp,  and  hastened  to  his  tent. 

All  this  happened  within  sight  of  the  camp.  The  king  was 
at  the  door  of  his  royal  tent,  which  stood  on  a  rising  ground 
and  overlooked  the  place  where  this  occurred.  When  the  king 
saw  one  cavalier  return  and  the  other  continue,  notwithstanding 
that  there  were  seven  Moors  in  the  road,  he  ordered  that  some 
horsemen  should  ride  forth  to  his  aid. 


CHRONICLE    OF   FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  423 

Upon  this  Don  Lorenzo  Xuarez,  who  was  with  the  king  and 
had  seen  Garci  Perez  sally  forth  from  the  camp,  said  :  "  Your 
majesty  may  leave  that  cavalier  to  himself;  that  is  Garci 
Perez,  and  he  has  no  need  of  aid  against  seven  Moors.  If  the 
Moors  know  him  they  will  not  meddle  with  him ;  and  if  they 
do,  your  majesty  will  see  what  kind  of  a  cavalier  he  is." 

They  continued  to  watch  the  cavalier,  who  rode  on  tranquilly 
as  if  in  no  apprehension.  When  he  drew  nigh  to  the  Moors, 
who  were  drawn  up  on  each  side  of  the  road,  he  took  his  arms 
from  his  squire,  and  ordered  him  not  to  separate  from  him.  As 
he  was  lacing  his  morion,  an  embroidered  cap  which  he  wore  on 
his  head  fell  to  the  ground  without  his  perceiving  it.  Having 
laced  the  capellina,  he  continued  on  his  way,  and  his  squire 
after  him.  When  the  Moors  saw  him  near  by  they  knew  by 
his  arms  that  it  was  Garci  Perez,  and  bethinking  them  of  his 
great  renown  for  terrible  deeds  in  arms,  they  did  not  dare  to 
attack  him,  but  went  along  the  road  even  with  him,  he  on  one 
side,  they  on  the  other,  making  menaces. 

Garci  Perez  went  on  his  road  with  great  serenity,  without 
making  any  movement.  When  the  Moors  saw  that  he  heeded 
not  their  menaces,  they  turned  round  and  went  back  to  about 
the  place  where  he  had  dropped  his  cap. 

Having  arrived  at  some  distance  from  the  Moors,  he  took 
off  his  arms  to  return  them  to  the  squire,  and  unlacing  the 
capellina,  found  that  the  cap  was  wanting.  He  asked  the 
squire  for  it,  but  the  latter  knew  nothing  about  it.  Seeing  that 
it  had  fallen,  he  again  demanded  his  arms  of  the  squire  and 
returned  in  search  of  it,  telling  his  squire  to  keep  close  behind 
him  and  look  out  well  for  it.  The  squire  remonstrated. 
"  What,  sefior,"  said  he,  "  will  you  return  and  place  yourself  in 
such  great  peril  for  a  mere  capa  ?  Have  you  not  already  done 


424  .  CHRONICLE    OF   FERNANDO   THE    SAINT. 

enough  for  your  honor,  in  passing  so  daringly  by  seven  Moors, 
and  have  you  not  been  singularly  favored  by  fortune  in  escap 
ing  unhurt,  and  do  you  seek  again  to  tempt  fortune  for  a  cap  ?  " 

"  Say  no  more,"  replied  Garci  Perez ;  "  that  cap  was  worked 
for  me  by  a  fair  lady ;  I  hold  it  of  great  value.  Besides,  dost 
thou  not  see  that  I  have  not  a  head  to  be  without  a  cap  ?  "  — 
alluding  to  the  baldness  of  his  head,  which  had  no  hair  in  front. 
So  saying,  he  tranquilly  returned  towards  the  Moors.  When 
Don  Lorenzo  Xuarez  saw  this,  he  said  to  the  king  :  "  Behold  ! 
your  majesty,  how  Garci  Perez  turns  upon  the  Moors ;  since 
they  will  not  make  an  attack,  he  means  to  attack  them.  Now 
your  majesty  will  see  the  noble  valor  of  this  cavalier,  if  the 
Moors  dare  to  await  him."  When  the  Moors  beheld  Garci 
Perez  approaching  they  thought  he  meant  to  assault  them,  and 
drew  off,  not  daring  to  encounter  him.  When  Don  Lorenzo 
saw  this  he  exclaimed, — 

"  Behold !  your  majesty,  the  truth  of  what  I  told  you. 
These  Moors  dare  not  wait  for  him.  I  knew  well  the  valor  of 
Garci  Perez,  and  it  appears  the  Moors  are  aware  of  it  like 
wise." 

In  the  mean  time  Garci  Perez  came  to  the  place  where  the 
capa  had  fallen,  and  beheld  it  upon  the  earth.  Then  he 
ordered  his  squire  to  dismount  and  pick  it  up,  and  putting  it 
deliberately  on  his  head,  he  continued  on  his  way  to  the  for 
agers. 

When  he  returned  to  the  camp  from  guarding  the  foragers, 
Don  Lorenzo  asked  him,  in  presence  of  the  king,  who  was  the 
cavalier  who  had  set  out  with  him  from  the  camp,  but  had 
turned  back  on  sight  of  the  Moors  ;  he  replied  that  he  did  not 
know  him,  and  he  was  confused,  for  he  perceived  that  the  king 
had  witnessed  what  had  passed,  and  he  was  so  modest  withal, 


CHRONICLE    OF   FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  425 

that  he  was  ever  embarrassed  when  his  deeds  were  praised  in 
his  presence. 

Don  Lorenzo  repeatedly  asked  him  who  was  the  recreant 
cavalier,  but  he  always  replied  that  he  did  not  know,  although 
he  knew  full  well  and  saw  him  daily  in  the  camp.  But  he  was 
too  generous  to  say  anything  that  should  take  away  the  fame 
of  another,  and  he  charged  his  squire  that  never,  by  word  or 
look,  he  should  betray  the  secret;  so  that,  though  inquiries 
were  often  made,  the  name  of  that  cavalier  was  never  dis 
covered. 

19* 


426  CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

OF    THE    RAFT    BUILT     BY     THE     MOORS,    AND     HOW     IT     WAS 

BOARDED     BY    ADMIRAL     BONIFAZ. DESTRUCTION    OF    THE 

MOORISH    FLEET.  —  SUCCOR   FROM   AFRICA. 

WHILE  the  army  of  King  Fernando  the  Saint  harassed  the 
city  by  land  and  cut  off  its  supplies,  the  bold  Bonifaz,  with  his 
fleet,  shut  up  the  river,  prevented  all  succor  from  Africa,  and 
menaced  to  attack  the  bridge  between  Triana  and  Seville,  by 
which  the  city  derived  its  sustenance  from  the  opposite  country. 
The  Moors  saw  their  peril.  If  this  pass  were  destroyed,  famine 
must  be  the  consequence,  and  the  multitude  of  their  soldiers, 
on  which  at  present  they  relied  for  safety,  would  then  become 
the  cause  of  their  destruction. 

So  the  Moors  devised  a  machine  by  which  they  hoped  to 
sweep  the  river  and  involve  the  invading  fleet  in  ruin.  They 
made  a  raft  so  wide  that  it  reached  from  one  bank  to  the  other, 
and  they  placed  all  around  it  pots  and  vessels  filled  with  resin, 
pitch,  tar,  and  other  combustibles,  forming  what  is  called  Greek- 
fire,  and  upon  it  was  a  great  number  of  armed  men  ;  and  on 
each  shore  —  from  the  castle  of  Triana  on  the  one  side,  and  from 
the  city  on  the  other  —  sallied  forth  legions  of  troops,  to  ad 
vance  at  the  same  time  with  the  raft.  The  raft  was  preceded  by 
several  vessels  well  armed,  to  attack  the  Christian  ships,  while 
the  soldiers  on  the  raft  should  hurl  on  board  their  pots  of  fire ; 
and  at  length,  setting  all  the  combustibles  in  a  blaze,  should 


CHRONICLE    OF   FERNANDO    THE   SAINT.  427 

send  the  raft  flaming  into  the  midst  of  the  hostile  fleet,  and 
wrap  it  in  one  general  conflagration. 

When  everything  was  prepared,  the  Moors  set  off  by  land 
and  water,  confident  of  success.  But  they  proceeded  in  a  wild, 
irregular  manner,  shouting  and  sounding  drums  and  trumpets, 
and  began  to  attack  the  Christian  ships  fiercely,  but  without 
concert,  hurling  their  pots  of  fire  from  a  distance,  filling  the 
air  with  smoke,  but  falling  short  of  their  enemy.  The  tumultu 
ous  uproar  of  their  preparations  had  put  all  the  Christians  on 
their  guard.  The  bold  Bonifaz  waited  not  to  -be  assailed ;  he 
boarded  the  raft,  attacked  vigorously  its  defenders,  put  many 
of  them  to  the  sword,  and  drove  the  rest  into  the  water,  and 
succeeded  in  extinguishing  the  Greek-fire.  He  then  encoun 
tered  the  ships  of  war,  grappling  them  and  fighting  hand  to 
hand  from  ship  to  ship.  The  action  was  furious  and  bloody, 
and  lasted  all  the  day.  Many  were  cut  down  in  flight,  many 
fell  into  the  water,  and  many  in  despair  threw  themselves  in 
and  were  drowned. 

The  battle  had  raged  no  less  fiercely  upon  the  land.  On  the 
side  of  Seville,  the  troops  had  issued  from  the  camp  of  King 
Fernando,  while  on  the  opposite  shore  the  brave  Master  of  San 
tiago,  Don  Pelayo  Perez  Correa,  with  his  warriors  and  fighting 
friars,  had  made  sharp  work  with  the  enemy.  In  this  way  a 
triple  battle  was  carried  on  ;  there  was  the  rush  of  squadrons, 
the  clash  of  arms,  and  the  din  of  drums  and  trumpets  on  either 
bank,  while  the  river  was  covered  with  vessels,  tearing  each 
other  to  pieces  as  it  were,  their  crews  fighting  in  the  midst  of 
flames  and  smoke,  the  waves  red  with  blood  and  filled  with  the 
bodies  of  the  slain.  At  length  the  Christians  were  victorious  ; 
most  of  the  enemies'  vessels  were  taken  or  destroyed,  and  on 
either  shore  the  Moors,  broken  and  discomfited,  fled,  —  those  on 


I 


428  CHRONICLE    OF   FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 

the  one  side  for  the  gates  of  Seville,  and  those  on  the  other  for 
the  castle  of  Triana,  —  pursued  with  great  slaughter  by  the 
victors. 

Notwithstanding  the  great  destruction  of  their  fleet,  the 
Moors  soon  renewed  their  attempts  upon  the  ships  of  Eamon 
Bonifaz,  for  they  knew  that  the  salvation  of  the  city  required 
the  freedom  of  the  river.  Succor  arrived  from  Africa,  of 
ships,  with  troops  and  provisions ;  they  rebuilt  the  fire-ships 
which  had  been  destroyed,  and  incessant  combats,  feints,  and 
stratagems  took  place  daily,  both  on  land  and  water.  The 
admiral  stood  in  great  dread  of  the  Greek-fire  used  by  the 
Moors.  He  caused  large  stakes  of  wood  to  be  placed  in  the 
river,  to  prevent  the  passage  of  the  fire-ships.  This  for  some 
time  was  of  avail;  but  the  Moors,  watching  an  opportunity 
when  the  sentinels  were  asleep,  came  and  threw  cables  round 
the  stakes,  and  fastening  the  other  ends  to  their  vessels,  made 
all  sail,  and  by  the  help  of  wind  and  oars,  tore  away  the  stakes 
and  carried  them  off  with  shouts  of  triumph.  The  clamorous 
exultation  of  the  Moors  betrayed  them.  The  Admiral  Boni 
faz  was  aroused.  With  a  few  of  the  lightest  of  his  vessels  he 
immediately  pursued  the  enemy.  He  came  upon  them  so  sud 
denly,  that  they  were  too  much  bewildered  either  to  fight  or 
fly.  Some  threw  themselves  into  the  waves  in  affright ;  others 
attempted  to  make  resistance  and  were  cut  down.  The  ad 
miral  took  four  barks  laden  with  arms  and  provisions,  and  with 
these  returned  in  triumph  to  his  fleet.* 

*  Corona  Gotica,  L.  3,  §  13.    Cronica  General,  p.  4.     Cronica  de  Santo  Rey, 
c.  55. 


CHRONICLE    OF   FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  429 


CHAPTER  XVH. 

OF  THE  STOUT  PRIOR,  FERRAN  RUYZ,  AND  HOW  HE  RESCUED 
HIS  CATTLE  FROM  THE  MOORS.  —  FURTHER  ENTERPRISES 
OF  THE  PRIOR,  AND  OF  THE  AMBUSCADE  INTO  WHICH  HE 
FELL.  , 

IT  happened  one  day  that  a  great  part  of  the  cavaliers  of 
the  army  were  absent,  some  making  cavalgadas  about  the 
country,  others  guarding  the  foragers,  and  others  gone  to  re 
ceive  the  Prince  Alfonso,  who  was  on  his  way  to  the  camp 
from  Murcia.  At  this  time  ten  Moorish  cavaliers,  of  the 
brave  lineage  of  the  Azules,  finding  the  Christian  camp  but 
thinly  peopled,  came  prowling  about,  seeking  where  they 
might  make  a  bold  inroad.  As  they  were  on  the  lookout  they 
came  to  that  part  of  the  camp  where  were  the  tents  of  the 
stout  Friar  Ferran  tluyz,  prior  of  the  hospital.  The  stout 
prior,  and  his  fighting  brethren,  were  as  good  at  foraging  as 
fighting.  Around  their  quarters  there  were  several  sleek  cows 
grazing,  which  they  had  carried  off  from  the  Moors.  When 
the  Azules  saw  these,  they  thought  to  make  a  good  prize, 
and  to  bear  off  the  prior's  cattle  as  a  trophy.  Careering 
lightly  round,  therefore,  between  the  cattle  and  the  camp,  they 
began  to  drive  them  towards  the  city.  The  alarm  was  given 
in  the  camp,  and  six  sturdy  friars  sallied  forth,  on  foot,  with 
two  cavaliers,  in  pursuit  of  the  marauders.  The  prior  him 
self  was  roused  by  the  noise  ;  when  he  heard  that  the  beeves 


430  CHRONICLE    OF   FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 

of  the  Church  were  in  danger  his  ire  was  kindled  ;  and  buck* 
ling  on  his  armor,  he  mounted  his  steed  and  galloped  furiously 
to  the  aid  of  his  valiant  friars,  and  the  rescue  of  his  cattle. 
The  Moors  attempted  to  urge  on  the  lagging  and  full-fed  kine, 
but  finding  the  enemy  close  upon  them,  they  were  obliged  to 
abandon  their  spoil  among  the  olive-trees,  and  to  retreat. 
The  prior  then  gave  the  cattle  in  charge  to  a  squire,  to  drive 
them  back  to  the  camp.  He  would  have  returned  himself, 
but  his  friars  had  continued  on  for  some  distance.  The  stout 
prior,  therefore,  gave  spurs  to  his  horse  and  galloped  beyond 
them,  to  turn  them  back.  Suddenly  great  shouts  and  cries 
arose  before  and  behind  him,  and  an  ambuscade  of  Moors, 
both  horse  and  foot,  came  rushing  out  of  a  ravine.  The 
stout  Prior  of  San  Juan  saw  that  there  was  no  retreat ;  and 
he  disdained  to  render  himself  a  prisoner.  Commending  him 
self  to  his  patron  saint,  and  bracing  his  shield,  he  charged 
bravely  among  the  Moors,  and  began  to  lay  about  him  with  a 
holy  zeal  of  spirit  and  a  vigorous  arm  of  flesh.  Every  blow 
that  he  gave  was  in  the  name  of  San  Juan,  and  every  blow  laid 
an  infidel  in  the  dust.  His  friars,  seeing  the  peril  of  their 
leader,  came  running  to  his  aid,  accompanied  by  a  number 
of  cavaliers.  They  rushed  into  the  fight,  shouting,  "  San  Juan ! 
San  Juan  ! "  and  began  to  deal  such  sturdy  blows  as  savored 
more  of  the  camp  than  of  the  cloister.  Great  and  fierce  was 
this  struggle  between  cowl  and  turban.  The  ground  was 
strewn  with  bodies  of  the  infidels ;  but  the  Christians  were 
a  mere  handful  among  a  multitude.  A  burly  friar,  com 
mander  of  Sietefilla,  was  struck  to  the  earth,  and  his  shaven 
head  cleft  by  a  blow  of  a  scimitar ;  several  squires  and  cava 
liers,  to  the  number  of  twenty,  fell  covered  with  wounds ;  yet 
still  the  stout  prior  and  his  brethren  continued  fighting  with 


CHRONICLE    OP    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  431 

desperate  fury,  shouting  incessantly,  "  San  Juan  !  San  Juan  !  " 
and  dealing  their  blows  with  as  good  heart  as  they  had  ever 
dealt  benedictions  on  their  followers. 

The  noise  of  this  skirmish,  and  the  holy  shouts  of  the  fight 
ing  friars,  resounded  through  the  camp.  The  alarm  was  given, 
"  The  Prior  of  San  Juan  is  surrounded  by  the  enemy  !  To  the 
rescue  !  to  the  rescue  !  "  The  whole  Christian  host  was  in 
agitation,  but  none  were  so  alert  as  those  holy  warriors  of  the 
Church,  Don  Garcia,  Bishop  of  Cordova,  and  Don  Sancho, 
Bishop  of  Coria.  Hastily  summoning  their  vassals,  horse  and 
foot,  they  bestrode  their  steeds,  with  cuirass  over  cassock,  and 
lance  instead  of  crosier,  and  set  off  at  full  gallop  to  the  rescue 
of  their  brother  saints.  When  the  Moors  saw  the  warrior 
bishops  and  their  retainers  scouring  to  the  field,  they  gave 
over  the  contest,  and  leaving  the  prior  and  his  companions, 
they  drew  off  towards  the  city.  Their  retreat  was  soon  changed 
to  a  headlong  flight ;  for  the  bishops,  not  content  with  rescuing 
the  prior,  continued  in  pursuit  of  his  assailants.  The  Moorish 
foot-soldiers  were  soon  overtaken  and  either  slaughtered  or 
made  prisoners :  nor  did  the  horsemen  make  good  their  retreat 
into  the  city,  until  the  powerful  arm  of  the  Church  had  visited 
their  rear  with  pious  vengeance.*  Nor  did  the  chastisement  of 
Heaven  end  here.  The  stout  prior  of  the  hospital,  being  once 
aroused,  was  full  of  ardor  and  enterprise.  Concerting  with 
the  Prince  Don  Enrique,  and  the  Masters  of  Calatrava  and 
Alcantara,  and  the  valiant  Lorenzo  Xuarez,  they  made  a  sud 
den  assault  by  night  on  the  suburb  of  Seville  called  Benal- 
jofar,  and  broke  their  way  into  it  with  fire  and  sword.  The 
Moors  were  roused  from  their  sleep  by  the  flames  of  their 
dwellings  and  the  shouts  of  the  Christians.  There  was  hard 

*  Cronica  General,  part  4,  p.  338. 


432  CHRONICLE   OF   FERNANDO   THE    SAINT. 

and  bloody  fighting.  The  prior  of  the  hospital,  with  his  val 
iant  friars,  was  in  the  fiercest  of  the  action,  and  their  war-cry  of 
"  San  Juan  !  San  Juan  ! "  was  heard  in  all  parts  of  the  suburb. 
Many  houses  were  burnt,  many  sacked,  many  Moors  slain  or 
taken  prisoners,  and  the  Christian  knights  and  warrior  friars, 
having  gathered  together  a  great  cavalgada  of  the  flocks  and 
herds  which  were  in  the  suburb,  drove  it  off  in  triumph  to  the 
camp,  by  the  light  of  the  blazing  dwellings. 

A  like  inroad  was  made  by  the  prior  and  the  same  cavaliers, 
a  few  nights  afterwards,  into  the  suburb  called  Macarena, 
which  they  laid  waste  in  like  manner,  bearing  off  wealthy 
spoils.  Such  was  the  pious  vengeance  which  the  Moors 
brought  upon  themselves  by  meddling  with  the  kine  of  the 
stout  prior  of  the  hospital. 


CHRONICLE    OF   FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  433 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

BRAVADO     OF     THE     THREE     CAVALIERS. AMBUSH     AT     THE 

BRIDGE     OVER     THE    GUADAYRA. DESPERATE     VALOR     OF 

GARCI     PEREZ. GRAND     ATTEMPT     OF     ADMIRAL     BONIFAZ 

ON  THE   BRIDGE    OF   BOATS SEVILLE    DISMEMBERED    FROM 

TRIANA. 

OF  all  the  Christian  cavaliers  who  distinguished  themselves 
in  this  renowned  siege  of  Seville,  there  was  none  who  surpassed 
in  valor  the  bold  Garci  Perez  de  Vargas.  This  hardy  knight 
was  truly  enamored  of  danger,  and  like  a  gamester  with  his 
gold,  he  seemed  to  have  no  pleasure  of  his  life  except  in  put 
ting  it  in  constant  jeopardy.  One  of  the  greatest  friends  of 
Garci  Perez  was  Don  Lorenzo  Xuarez  Gallinato,  the  same  who 
had  boasted  of  the  valor  of  Garci  Perez  at  the  time  that  he 
exposed  himself  to  be  attacked  by  seven  Moorish  horsemen. 
They  were  not  merely  companions,  but  rivals  in  arms ;  for  in 
this  siege  it  was  the  custom  among  the  Christian  knights  to  vie 
with  each  other  in  acts  of  daring  enterprise. 

One  morning,  as  Garci  Perez,  Don  Lorenzo  Xuarez,  and  a 
third  cavalier,  named  Alfonzo  Tello,  were  on  horseback,  patrol 
ling  the  skirts  of  the  camp,  a  friendly  contest  rose  between 
them  as  to  who  was  most  adventurous  in  arms.  To  settle 
the  question,  it  was  determined  to  put  the  proof  to  the  Moors, 
by  going  alone  and  striking  the  points  of  their  lances  in  the 
gate  of  the  city. 


434  CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 

No  sooner  was  this  mad  bravado  agreed  upon  than  they 
turned  the  reins  of  their  horses  and  made  for  Seville.  The 
Moorish  sentinels,  from  the  towers  of  the  gate,  saw  three 
Christian  knights  advancing  over  the  plain,  and  supposed  them 
to  be  messengers  or  deserters  from  the  army.  When  the  cav 
aliers  drew  near,  each  struck  his  lance  against  the  gate,  and 
wheeling  round,  put  spurs  to  his  horse  and  retreated.  The 
Moors,  considering  this  a  scornful  defiance,  were  violently  ex 
asperated,  and  sallied  forth  in  great  numbers  to  revenge  the 
insult.  They  soon  were  hard  on  the  traces  of  the  Christian 
cavaliers.  The  first  who  turned  to  fight  with  them  was  Alfonzo 
Tello,  being  of  a  fiery  and  impatient  spirit.  The  second  was 
Garci  Perez ;  the  third  was  Don  Lorenzo,  who  waited  until  the 
Moors  came  up  with  them,  when  he  braced  his  shield,  couched 
his  lance,  and  took  the  whole  brunt  of  their  charge.  A  des 
perate  fight  took  place,  for  though  the  Moors  were  overwhelm 
ing  in  number,  the  cavaliers  were  three  of  the  most  valiant 
warriors  in  Spain.  The  conflict  was  beheld  from  the  camp. 
The  alarm  was  given :  the  Christian  cavaliers  hastened  to  the 
rescue  of  their  companions  in  arms ;  squadron  after  squadron 
pressed  to  the  field,  the  Moors  poured  out  reinforcements  from 
the  gate  ;  in  this  way  a  general  battle  ensued,  which  lasted  a 
great  part  of  the  day,  until  the  Moors  were  vanquished  and 
driven  within  their  walls. 

There  was  one  of  the  gates  of  Seville,  called  the  Gate  of  the 
Alcazar,  which  led  out  to  a  small  bridge  over  the  Guadayra. 
Out  of  this  gate  the  Moors  used  to  make  frequent  sallies,  to  fall 
suddenly  upon  the  Christian  camp,  or  to  sweep  off  the  flocks 
and  herds  about  its  outskirts,  and  then  to  scour  back  to  the 
bridge,  beyond  which  it  was  dangerous  to  pursue  them. 

The  defence  of  this  part  of  the  camp  was  intrusted  to  those 


CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  435 

two  valiant  compeers  in  arms,  Garci  Perez  de  Vargas  and  Don 
Lorenzo  Xuarez ;  and  they  determined  to  take  ample  revenge 
upon  the  Moors  for  all  the  depredations  they  had  committed. 
They  chose,  therefore,  about  two  hundred  hardy  cavaliers,  the 
flower  of  those  seasoned  warriors  on  the  opposite  side  of 
the  Guadalquivir,  who  formed  the  little  army  of  the  good 
Master  of  Santiago.  When  they  were  all  assembled  together, 
Don  Lorenzo  put  them  in  ambush,  in  the  way  by  which  the 
Moors  were  accustomed  to  pass  in  their  maraudings,  and  he 
instructed  them  in  pursuing  the  Moors,  to  stop  at  the  bridge, 
and  by  no  means  to  pass  beyond  it ;  for  between  it  and  the  city 
there  was  a  great  host  of  the  enemy,  and  the  bridge  was  so 
narrow  that  to  retreat  over  it  would  be  perilous  in  the  extreme. 
This  order  was  given  to  all,  but  was  particularly  intended  for 
Garci  Perez,  to  restrain  his  daring  spirit,  which  was  ever  apt  to 
run  into  peril. 

They  had  not  been  long  in  ambush  when  they  heard  the  dis 
tant  tramp  of  the  enemy  upon  the  bridge,  and  found  that  the 
Moors  were  upon  the  forage.  They  kept  close  concealed,  and 
the  Moors  passed  by  them  in  careless  and  irregular  manner,  as 
men  apprehending  no  danger.  Scarce  had  they  gone  by  when 
the  cavaliers  rushed  forth,  charged  into  the  midst  of  them,  and 
threw  them  all  into  confusion.  Many  were  killed  or  over 
thrown  in  the  shock,  the  rest  took  to  flight,  and  made  at  full 
speed  for  the  bridge.  Most  of  the  Christian  soldiers,  according 
to  orders,  stopped  at  the  bridge  ;  but  Don  Lorenzo,  with  a  few  of 
his  cavaliers,  followed  the  enemy  half  way  across,  making  great 
havoc  in  that  narrow  pass.  Many  of  the  Moors  in  their  panic 
flung  themselves  from  the  bridge  and  perished  in  the  Guadayra ; 
others  were  cut  down  and  trampled  under  the  hoofs  of  friends 
and  foes.  Don  Lorenzo,  in  the  heat  of  the  fight,  cried  aloud 


436  CHRONICLE    OF   FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 

incessantly,  defying  the  Moors,  and  proclaiming  his  name, — 
"  Turn  hither  !  turn  hither  !  'T  is  I,  Lorenzo  Xuarez  !  "  But 
few  of  the  Moors  cared  to  look  him  in  the  face. 

Don  Lorenzo  now  returned  to  his  cavaliers,  but  on  looking 
round,  Garci  Perez  was  not  to  be  seen.  All  were  dismayed, 
fearing  some  evil  fortune  had  befallen  him  ;  when,  on  casting 
their  eyes  beyond  the  bridge,  they  saw  him  on  the  opposite 
side,  surrounded  by  Moors  and  fighting  with  desperate  valor. 

"  Garci  Perez  has  deceived  us,"  said  Don  Lorenzo,  "  and  has 
passed  the  bridge,  contrary  to  agreement.  But  to  the  rescue, 
comrades  !  Never  let  it  be  said  that  so  good  a  cavalier  as 
Garci  Perez  was  lost  for  want  of  our  assistance."  So  saying, 
they  all  put  spurs  to  their  horses,  rushed  again  upon  the  bridge, 
and  broke  their  way  across,  cutting  down  and  overturning  the 
Moors  and  driving  great  numbers  to  fling  themselves  into  the 
river.  When  the  Moors  who  had  surrounded  Garci  Perez  saw 
this  band  of  cavaliers  rushing  from  the  bridge,  they  turned  to 
defend  themselves.  The  contest  was  fierce,  but  broken  ;  many 
of  the  Moors  took  refuge  in  the  river,  but  the  Christians  fol 
lowed  and  slew  them  among  the  waves.  They  continued  fight 
ing  for  the  remainder  of  the  day,  quite  up  to  the  gate  of  the 
Alcazar ;  and  if  the  chronicles  of  the  times  speak  with  their 
usual  veracity,  full  three  thousand  infidels  bit  the  dust  on  that 
occasion.  When  Don  Lorenzo  returned  to  the  camp  and  was 
in  presence  of  the  king  and  of  numerous  cavaliers,  great  enco 
miums  were  passed  upon  his  valor ;  but  he  modestly  replied  that 
Garci  Perez  had  that  day  made  them  good  soldiers  by  force. 

From  that  time  forward  the  Moors  attempted  no  further 
inroads  into  the  camp,  so  severe  a  lesson  had  they  received 
from  these  brave  cavaliers.* 

*  Cronica  General  de  Espana,  part  4.  Cronica  del  Rey  Fernando  el  Santo, 
c.  60.  Corona  Gotica,  T.  3,  p.  126. 


CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  437 

The  city  of  Seville  was  connected  with  the  suburb  of  Triana 
by  a  strong  bridge  of  boats,  fastened  together  by  massive 
chains  of  iron.  By  this  bridge  a  constant  communication  was 
kept  up  between  Triana  and  the  city,  and  mutual  aid  and  sup 
port  passed  and  repassed.  While  this  bridge  remained,  it  was 
impossible  to  complete  the  investment  of  the  city,  or  to  capture 
the  castle  of  Triana. 

The  bold  Admiral  Bonifaz  at  length  conceived  a  plan  to 
break  this  bridge  asunder,  and  thus  to  cut  off  all  communica 
tion  between  the  city  and  Triana.  No  sooner  had  this  idea 
entered  his  mind  than  he  landed,  and  proceeded  with  great 
speed  to  the  royal  tent,  to  lay  it  before  the  king.  Then  a 
consultation  was  summoned  by  the  king  of  ancient  mariners 
and  artificers  of  ships,  and  other  persons  learned  in  maritime 
affairs  ;  and  after  Admiral  Bonifaz  had  propounded  his  plan,  it 
was  thought  to  be  good,  and  all  preparations  were  made  to 
carry  it  into  effect.  The  admiral  took  two  of  his  largest  and 
strongest  ships,  and  fortified  them  at  the  prows  with  solid 
timber  and  with  plates  of  iron  ;  and  he  put  within  them  a 
great  number  of  chosen  men,  well  armed  and  provided  with 
everything  for  attack  and  defence.  Of  one  he  took  the  com 
mand  himself.  It  was  the  third  day  of  May,  the  day  of  the 
most  Holy  Cross,  that  he  chose  for  this  grand  and  perilous  at 
tempt  ;  and  the  pious  King  Fernando,  to  insure  success,  or 
dered  that  a  cross  should  be  carried  as  a  standard  at  the  mast 
head  of  each  ship. 

On  the  third  of  May,  towards  the  hour  of  noon,  the  two  ships 
descended  the  Guadalquivir  for  some  distance,  to  gain  room  to 
come  up  with  the  greater  violence.  Here  they  waited  the  ris 
ing  of  the  tide,  and  as  soon  as  it  was  in  full  force,  and  a  favor 
able  wind  had  sprung  up  from  the  sea,  they  hoisted  anchor, 


438  CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 

spread  all  sail,  and  put  themselves  in  the  midst  of  the  current. 
The  whole  shores  were  lined  on  each  side  with  Christian  troops, 
watching  the  event  with  great  anxiety.  The  king  and  the 
Prince  Alfonso,  with  their  warriors,  on  the  one  side  had  drawn 
close  to  the  city  to  prevent  the  sallying  forth  of  the  Moors, 
while  the  good  Master  of  Santiago,  Don  Pelayo  Perez  Correa, 
kept  watch  upon  the  gates  of  Triana.  The  Moors  crowded  the 
tops  of  their  towers,  their  wall  and  house  tops,  and  prepared 
engines  and  weapons  of  all  kinds  to  overwhelm  the  ships  with 
destruction. 

Twice  the  bold  admiral  set  all  sail  and  started  on  his  career, 
and  twice  the  wind  died  away  before  he  had  proceeded  half 
his  course.  Shouts  of  joy  and  of  derision  rose  from  the  walls 
and  towers  of  Seville,  while  the  warriors  in  the  ships  began 
to  fear  that  their  attempt  would  be  unsuccessful.  At  length 
a  fresh  and  strong  wind  arose,  that  swelled  every  sail  and  sent 
the  ships  ploughing  up  the  waves  of  the  Guadalquivir.  A 
dead  silence  prevailed  among  the  hosts  on  either  bank  ;  even 
the  Moors  remained  silent,  in  fixed  and  breathless  suspense. 
When  the  ships  arrived  within  reach  of  the  walls  of  the  city 
and  the  suburbs,  a  tremendous  attack  was  commenced  from 
every  wall  and  tower ;  great  engines  discharged  stones  and 
offensive  weapons  of  all  kinds,  and  flaming  pots  of  Greek-fire. 
On  the  tower  of  gold  were  stationed  catapults  and  vast  cross 
bows,  that  were  worked  with  cranks,  and  from  hence  an  iron 
shower  was  rained  upon  the  ships.  The  Moors  in  Triana 
were  equally  active ;  from  every  wall  and  turret,  from  house 
tops,  and  from  the  banks  of  the  river,  an  incessant  assault  was 
kept  up  with  catapults,  cross-bows,  slings,  darts,  and  every 
thing  that  could  annoy.  Through  all  this  tempest  of  war,  the 
ships  kept  on  their  course.  The  first  ship  which  arrived 


CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  439 

struck  the  bridge  on  the  part  towards  Triana.  The  shock 
resounded  from  shore  to  shore,  the  whole  fabric  trembled,  the 
ship  recoiled  and  reeled,  but  the  bridge  was  unbroken ;  and 
shouts  of  joy  rose  from  the  Moors  on  each  side  of  the  river. 
Immediately  after  came  the  ship  of  the  admiral.  It  struck 
the  bridge  just  about  the  centre  with  a  tremendous  crash. 
The  iron  chains  which  bound  the  boats  together  snapped  as 
if  they  had  been  flax.  The  boats  were  crushed  and  shattered 
and  flung  wide  asunder,  and  the  ship  of  the  admiral  proceeded 
in  triumph  through  the  open  space.  No  sooner  did  the  king 
and  the  Prince  Alfonso  see  the  success  of  the  admiral,  than 
they  pressed  with  their  troops  closely  round  the  city,  and  pre 
vented  the  Moors  from  sallying  forth  ;  while  the  ships,  having 
accomplished  their  enterprise,  extricated  themselves  from 
their  dangerous  situation,  and  returned  in  triumph  to  their 
accustomed  anchorage.  This  was  the  fatal  blow  that  dismem 
bered  Seville  from  Triana,  and  insured  the  downfall  of  the 
city. 


440  CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

INVESTMENT    OF  TRIANA. GARCI  PEREZ  AND  THE  INFANZON. 

ON  the  day  after  the  breaking  of  the  bridge,  the  king,  the 
Prince  Alfonso,  the  Prince  Enrique,  the  various  masters  of 
the  orders,  and  a  great  part  of  the  army,  crossed  the  Guadal 
quivir  and  commenced  an  attack  on  Triana,  while  the  bold 
Admiral  Bonifaz  approached  with  his  ships  and  assaulted  the 
place  from  the  water.  But  the  Christian  army  was  unpro 
vided  with  ladders  or  machines  for  the  attack,  and  fought  to 
great  disadvantage.  The  Moors,  from  the  safe  shelter  of  their 
walls  and  towers,  rained  a  shower  of  missiles  of  all  kinds. 
As  they  were  so  high  above  the  Christians,  their  arrows,  darts, 
and  lances  came  with  the  greater  force.  They  were  skilful 
with  the  cross-bow,  and  had  engines  of  such  force  that  the 
darts  which  they  discharged  would  sometimes  pass  through  a 
cavalier  all  armed,  and  bury  themselves  in  the  earth.* 

The  very  women  combatted  from  the  walls,  and  hurled  down 
stones  that  crushed  the  warriors  beneath. 

While  the  army  was  closely  investing  Triana,  and  fierce 
encounters  were  daily  taking  place  between  Moor  and  Chris 
tian,  there  arrived  at  the  camp  a  youthful  Infanzon,  or  noble, 
of  proud  lineage.  He  brought  with  him  a  shining  train  of 
vassals,  all  newly  armed  and  appointed,  and  his  own  armor,  all 
fresh  and  lustrous,  showed  none  of  the  dents  and  bruises  and 
*  Cronica  General,  part  4,  p.  341. 


CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  441 

abuses  of  the  war.  As  this  gay  and  gorgeous  cavalier  was 
patrolling  the  camp,  with  several  cavaliers,  he  beheld  Garci 
Perez  pass  by,  in  armor  and  accoutrements,  all  worn  and  soiled 
by  the  hard  service  he  had  performed,  and  he  saw  a  similar 
device  to  his  own,  of  white  waves,  emblazoned  on  the  scutcheon 
of  this  unknown  warrior.  Then  the  nobleman  was  highly 
ruffled  and  incensed,  and  he  exclaimed,  "  How  is  this  ?  who  is 
this  sorry  cavalier  that  dares  to  bear  these  devices  ?  By  my 
faith,  he  must  either  give  them  up  or  show  his  reasons  for 
usurping  them."  The  other  cavaliers  exclaimed,  "  Be  cautious 
how  you  speak  ;  this  is  Garci  Perez  ;  a  braver  cavalier  wears 
not  sword  in  Spain.  For  all  he  goes  thus  modestly  and  quietly 
about,  he  is  a  very  lion  in  the  field,  nor  does  he  assume  any 
thing  that  he  cannot  well  maintain.  Should  he  hear  this 

O 

which  you  have  said,  trust  us  he  would  not  rest  quiet  until 
he  had  terrible  satisfaction." 

Now  so  it  happened  that  certain  mischief-makers  carried 
word  to  Garci  Perez  of  what  the  nobleman  had  said,  expect 
ing  to  see  him  burst  into  fierce  indignation,  and  defy  the  other 
to  the  field.  But  Garci  Perez  remained  tranquil,  and  said  not 
a  word. 

Within  a  day  or  two  after,  there  was  a  sally  from  the  castle 
of  Triana,  and  a  hot  skirmish  between  the  Moors  and  Chris 
tians  ;  and  Garci  Perez  and  the  Infanzon,  and  a  number  of 
cavaliers,  pursued  the  Moors  up  to  the  barriers  of  the  castle. 
Here  the  enemy  rallied  and  made  a  fierce  defence,  and  killed 
several  of  the  cavaliers.  But  Garci  Perez  put  spurs  to  his 
horse,  and  couching  his  lance,  charged  among  the  thickest  of 
the  foes,  and  followed  by  a  handful  of  his  companions,  drove 
the  Moors  to  the  very  gates  of  Triana.  The  Moors,  seeing 
how  few  were  their  pursuers,  turned  upon  them,  and  dealt 
VOL.  i.  •  20 


442  CHRONICLE    OF   FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 

bravely  with  sword  and  lance  and  mace,  while  stones  and  darts 
and  arrows  were  rained  down  from  the  towers  above  the  gates. 
At  length  the  Moors  took  refuge  within  the  walls,  leaving  the 
field  to  the  victorious  cavaliers.  Garci  Perez  drew  off  coolly 
and  calmly,  amidst  a  shower  of  missiles  from  the  wall.  He 
came  out  of  the  battle  with  his  armor  all  battered  and  defaced ; 
his  helmet  was  bruised,  the  crest  broken  off,  and  his  buckler 
so  dented  and  shattered  that  the  device  could  scarcely  be  per 
ceived.  On  returning  to  the  barrier,  he  found  there  the  In- 
fanzon,  with  his  armor  all  uninjured,  and  his  armorial  bear 
ings  as  fresh  as  if  just  emblazoned,  for  the  vaunting  warrior 
had  not  ventured  beyond  the  barrier.  Then  Garci  Perez  drew 
near  to  the  Infanzon,  and  eyeing  him  from  head  to  foot,  "  Senor 
cavalier,"  said  he,  "  you  may  well  dispute  my  right  to  wear 
this  honorable  device  in  my  shield,  since  you  see  I  take  so 
little  care  of  it  that  it  is  almost  destroyed.  You,  on  the  other 
hand,  are  worthy  of  bearing  it.  You  are  the  guardian  angel 
of  honor,  since  you  guard  it  so  carefully  as  to  put  it  to  no  risk. 
I  will  only  observe  to  you  that  the  sword  kept  in  the  scabbard 
rusts,  and  the  valor  that  is  never  put  to  the  proof  becomes 
sullied."  * 

At  these  words  the  Infanzon  was  .deeply  humiliated,  for  he 
saw  that  Garci  Perez  had  heard  of  his  empty  speeches,  and 
he  felt  how  unworthily  he  had  spoken  of  so  valiant  and  mag 
nanimous  a  cavalier.  "  Senor  cavalier,"  said  he,  "  pardon  my 
ignorance  and  presumption ;  you  alone  are  worthy  of  bearing 
those  arms,  for  you  derive  not  nobility  from  them,  but  ennoble 
them  by  your  glorious  deeds." 

Then  Garci  Perez  blushed  at  the  praises  he  had  thus  drawn 
upon  himself,  and  he  regretted  the  harshness  of  his  words 

*  Cronica  General,  part  4.     Corona  Gotica,  T.  3,  §  16. 


CHRONICLE    OF   FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  443 

towards  the  Infanzon,  and  he  not  merely  pardoned  him  all 
that  had  passed,  but  gave  him  his  hand  in  pledge  of  amity, 
and  from  that  time  they  were  close  friends  and  companions 
in  arms.* 

*  Oronica  General,  part  4.     Cronica  del  Rey  Santo.     Corona  Gotica,  T  3,  §  16. 


444  CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

CAPITULATION  OF  SEVILLE.  —  DISPERSION  OF  THE  MOORISH  IN 
HABITANTS.  TRIUMPHANT    ENTRY    OF    KING    FERNANDO. 

ABOUT  this  time  there  arrived  in  Seville  a  Moorish  alfaqui, 
named  Orias,  with  a  large  company  of  warriors,  who  came  to 
this  war  as  if  performing  a  pilgrimage,  for  it  was  considered  a 
holy  war  no  less  by  infidels  than  Christians.  This  Orias  was 
of  a  politic  and  crafty  nature,  and  he  suggested  to  the  com 
mander  of  Seville  a  stratagem  by  which  they  might  get  Prince 
Alfonso  in  their  power,  and  compel  King  Fernando  to  raise  the 
siege  by  way  of  ransom.  The  counsel  of  Orias  was  adopted, 
after  a  consultation  with  the  principal  cavaliers,  and  measures 
taken  to  carry  it  into  execution  ;  a  Moor  was  sent,  therefore, 
as  if  secretly  and  by  stealth,  to  Prince  Alfonso,  and  offered  to 
put  him  in  possession  of  two  towers  of  the  wall,  if  he  would 
come  in  person  to  receive  them,  which  towers  once  in  his  pos 
session,  it  would  be  easy  to  overpower  the  city. 

Prince  Alfonso  listened  to  the  envoy  with  seeming  eagerness, 
but  suspected  some  deceit,  and  thought  it  unwise  to  put  his 
person  in  such  jeopardy.  Lest,  however,  there  should  be  truth 
in  his  proposals,  a  party  of  chosen  cavaliers  were  sent  as  if  to 
take  possession  of  the  towers,  and  with  them  was  Don  Pero 
Nunez  de  Guzman,  disguised  as  the  prince. 

When  they  came  to  the  place  where  the  Moors  had  ap 
pointed  to  meet  them,  they  beheld  a  party  of  infidels,  strongly 


CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  445 

armed,  who  advanced  with  sinister  looks,  and  attempted  to  sur 
round  Don  Nunez,  but  he,  being  on  his  guard,  put  spurs  to  his 
horse,  and,  breaking  through  the  midst  of  them,  escaped.  His 
companions  followed  his  example,  all  but  one,  who  was  struck 
from  his  horse  and  cut  to  pieces  by  the  Moors.* 

Just  after  this  event  there  arrived  a  great  reinforcement  to 
the  camp  from  the  city  of  Cordova,  bringing  provisions  and 
various  munitions  of  war.  Finding  his  army  thus  increased,  the 
king  had  a  consultation  with  Admiral  Bonifaz,  and  determined 
completely  to  cut  off  all  communication  between  Seville  and 
Triana,  for  the  Moors  still  crossed  the  river  occasionally  by 
fording.  When  they  were  about  to  carry  their  plan  into  effect, 
the  crafty  Alfaqui  Orias  crossed  to  Triana,  accompanied  by  a 
number  of  Ganzules.  He  was  charged  with  instructions  to  the 
garrison,  and  to  concert  some  mode  of  reuniting  their  forces, 
or  of  effecting  some  blow  upon  the  Christian  camp ;  for  un 
less  they  could  effect  a  union  and  cooperation,  it  would  be 
impossible  to  make  much  longer  resistance. 

Scarce  had  Orias  passed,  when  the  Christian  sentinels  gave 
notice.  Upon  this,  a  detachment  of  the  Christian  army  im 
mediately  crossed  and  took  possession  of  the  opposite  shore, 
and  Admiral  Bonifaz  stationed  his  fleet  in  the  middle  of  the 
river.  Thus  the  return  of  Orias  was  prevented,  and  all  inter 
course  between  the  places,  even  by  messenger,  completely 
interrupted.  The  city  and  Triana  were  now  severally  attacked, 
and  unable  to  render  each  other  assistance.  The  Moors  were 
daily  diminishing  in  number ;  many  slain  in  battle,  many  taken 
captive,  and  many  dying  of  hunger  and  disease.  The  Christian 
forces  were  daily  augmenting,  and  were  animated  by  continual 
success,  whereas  mutiny  and  sedition  began  to  break  out  among 

*   Cronica  General,  part  4,  p.  424. 


146  CHRONICLE    OP    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 

the  inhabitants  of  the  city.  The  Moorish  commander  Axataf, 
therefore,  seeing  all  further  resistance  vain,  sent  ambassadors 
to  capitulate  with  King  Fernando.  It  was  a  hard  and  humil 
iating  struggle  to  resign  this  fair  city,  the  queen  of  Andalusia, 
the  seat  of  Moorish  sway  and  splendor,  and  which  had  been 
under  Moorish  domination  ever  since  the  Conquest. 

The  valiant  Ajataf  endeavored  to  make  various  conditions  ; 
that  King  Fernando  should  raise  the  siege  on  receiving  the 
tribute  which  had  hitherto  been  paid  to  the  miramamolin.  This 
being  peremptorily  refused,  he  offered  to  give  up  a  third  of  the 
city,  and  then  a  half,  building  at  his  own  cost  a  wall  to  divide 
the  Moorish  part  from  the  Christian.  King  Fernando,  how 
ever,  would  listen  to  no  such  terms.  He  demanded  the  entire 
surrender  of  the  place,  with  the  exception  of  the  persons  and 
effects  of  the  inhabitants,  and  permitting  the  commander  to 
retain  possession  of  St.  Lucar,  Aznal  Farache,  and  Niebla. 
The  commander  of  Seville  saw  the  sword  suspended  over  his 
head,  and  had  to  submit ;  the  capitulations  of  the  surrender 
were  signed,  when  Axataf  made  one  last  request,  that  he 
might  be  permitted  to  demolish  the  grand  mosque  and  the 
principal  tower  (or  Giralda)  of  the  city.*  He  felt  that  these 
would  remain  perpetual  monuments  of  his  disgrace.  The 
Prince  Alfonso  was  present  when  this  last  demand  was  made, 
and  his  father  looked  at  him  significantly,  as  if  he  desired  the 
reply  to  come  from  his  lips.  The  prince  rose  indignantly  and 
exclaimed,  that  if  there  should  be  a  single  tile  missing  from 
the  temple  or  a  single  brick  from  the  tower,  it  should  be  paid 
by  so  many  lives  that  the  streets  of  Seville  should  run  with 
blood.  The  Moors  were  silenced  by  this  reply,  and  prepared 
with  heavy  hearts  to  fulfil  the  capitulation.  One  month  was 

*  Mariana,  L.  13,  c.  7. 


CHRONICLE    OF   FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  447 

allowed  them  for  the  purpose,  the  alcazar  or  citadel  of  Seville 
being  given  up  to  the  Christians  as  a  security. 

On  the  twenty-third  day  of  November  this  important  fortress 
was  surrendered,  after  a  siege  of  eighteen  months.  A  deputa 
tion  of  the  principal  Moors  came  forth  and  presented  King 
Fernando  with  the  keys  of  the  city  ;  at  the  same  time  the 
aljamia,  or  council  of  the  Jews,  presented  him  with  the  key  of 
Jewry,  the  quarter  of  the  city  which  they  inhabited.  This  key 
was  notable  for  its  curious  workmanship.  It  was  formed  of  all 
kinds  of  metals.  The  guards  of  it  were  wrought  into  letters, 
bearing  the  following  signification,  —  "  God  will  open  —  the 
king  will  enter."  On  the  ring  was  inscribed  in  Hebrew,  —  "  The 
King  of  kings  will  enter  ;  all  the  world  will  behold  him."  This 
key  is  still  preserved  in  the  cathedral  of  Seville,  in  the  place 
where  repose  the  remains  of  the  sainted  King  Fernando.* 

During  the  month  of  grace  the  Moors  sold  such  of  their 
effects  as  they  could  not  carry  with  them,  and  the  king  pro 
vided  vessels  for  such  as  chose  to  depart  for  Africa.  Upwards 
of  one  hundred  thousand,  it  is  said,  were  thus  convoyed  by  Ad 
miral  Bonifaz,  while  upwards  of  two  hundred  thousand  dis 
persed  themselves  throughout  such  of  the  territory  of  Andalusia 
as  still  remained  in  possession  of  the  Moors. 

When  the  month  was  expired,  and  the  city  was  evacuated  by 
its  Moorish  inhabitants,  King  Fernando  the  Saint  entered  in 

7  O 

solemn  triumph,  in  a  grand  religious  and  military  procession. 

*  In  Castile,  whenever  the  kings  entered  any  place  where  there  was  a  syna 
gogue,  the  Jews  assembled  in  council  and  paid  to  the  Monteros,  or  bull-fighters, 
twelve  maravedis  each,  to  guard  them,  that  they  should  receive  no  harm  from  the 
Christians;  being  held  in  such  contempt  and  odium,  that  it  was  necessary  they 
should  be  under  the  safeguard  of  the  king,  not  to  be  injured  or  insulted.1 

l  Zuniga,  Annales  de  Sevilla. 


448  CHRONICLE    OP    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 

There  were  all  the  captains  and  cavaliers  of  the  army,  in  shin 
ing  armor,  with  the  prelates,  and  masters  of  the  religious  and 
military  orders,  and  the  nobility  of  Castile,  Leon,  and  Aragon, 
in  their  richest  apparel.  The  streets  resounded  with  the  swell 
ing  notes  of  martial  music  and  with  the  joyous  acclamations  of 
the  multitude. 

In  the  midst  of  the  procession  was  the  venerable  effigy  of  the 
most  Holy  Mary,  on  a  triumphal  car  of  silver,  wrought  with  ad 
mirable  skill ;  and  immediately  after  followed  the  pious  king, 
with  a  drawn  sword  in  his  hand,  and  on  his  left  was  Prince  Al 
fonso  and  the  other  princes. 

The  procession  advanced  to  the  principal  mosque,  which  had 
been  purified  and  consecrated  as  a  Christian  temple,  where 
the  triumphal  car  of  the  Holy  Virgin  was  placed  at  the  grand 
altar.  Here  the  pious  king  knelt  and  returned  thanks  to 
Heaven  and  the  Virgin  for  this  signal  victory,  and  all  present 
chanted  Te  Deum  Laudamus* 


CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  449 


CHAPTER    XXI. 

DEATH    OF    KING    FERNANDO. 

WHEN  King  Fernando  had  regulated  everything  for  the 
good  government  and  prosperity  of  Seville,  he  sallied  forth 
with  his  conquering  army  to  subdue  the  surrounding  country. 
He  soon  brought  under  subjection  Xerez,  Medina  Sidonia, 
Alua,  Bepel,  and  many  other  places  near  the  sea-coast ;  some 
surrendered  voluntarily,  others  were  taken  by  force ;  he  main 
tained  a  strict  peace  with  his  vassal  the  King  of  Granada,  but 
finding  not  sufficient  scope  for  his  arms  in  Spain,  and  being 
ir  flamed  with  a  holy  zeal  in  the  cause  of  the  faith,  he  deter 
mined  to  pass  over  into  Africa  and  retaliate  upon  the  Moslems 
their  daring  invasion  of  his  country.  For  this  purpose  he 
ordered  a  powerful  armada  to  be  prepared  in  the  ports  of 
Cantabria,  to  be  put  under  the  command  of  the  bold  Admiral 
Bonifaz. 

In  the  midst  of  his  preparations,  which  spread  conster 
nation  throughout  Mauritania,  the  pious  king  fell  dangerously 
ill  at  Seville  of  a  dropsy.  When  he  found  his  dying  hour 
approaching,  he  made  his  death-bed  confession,  and  requested 
the  holy  Sacrament  to  be  administered  to  him.  A  train  of 
bishops  and  other  clergy,  among  whom  was  his  son  Philip, 
Archbishop  of  Seville,  brought  the  Sacrament  into  his  presence. 
The  king  rose  from  his  bed,  threw  himself  on  his  knees,  with 
a  rope  round  his  neck  and  a  crucifix  in  his  hand,  and  poured 

20* 


450  CHRONICLE    OF    FERNANDO    THE    SAINT. 

forth  his  soul  in  penitence  and  prayer.  Having  received  the 
viatica  and  the  holy  Sacrament,  he  commanded  all  ornaments 
of  royalty  to  be  taken  from  his  chamber.  He  assembled  his 
children  round  his  bedside,  and  blessed  his  son  the  Prince 
Alfonso,  as  his  first-born  and  the  heir  of  his  throne,  giving  him 
excellent  advice  for  the  government  of  his  kingdom,  and 
charging  him  to  protect  the  interests  of  his  brethren.  The 
pious  king  afterwards  fell  into  an  ecstasy  or  trance,  in  which 
he  beheld  angels  watching  round  his  bed  to  bear  his  soul  to 
heaven.  He  awoke  from  this  in  a  state  of  heavenly  rapture, 
and  asking  for  a  candle,  he  took  it  in  his  hand  and  made  his 
ultimate  profession  of  the  faith.  He  then  requested  the 
clergy  present  to  repeat  the  litanies  and  to  chant  the  Te  Deum 
Laudamus,  In  chanting  the  first  verse  of  the  hymn,  the 
king  gently  inclined  his  head  with  perfect  serenity  of  counte 
nance,  and  rendered  up  his  spirit.  "  The  hymn,"  says  the 
ancient  chronicle,  "which  was  begun  on  earth  by  men,  was 
continued  by  the  voices  of  angels,  which  were  heard  by  all 
present."  These  doubtless  were  the  angels  which  the  king  in 
his  ecstasy  had  beheld  around  his  couch,  and  which  now  ac 
companied  him,  in  his  glorious  ascent  to  heaven,  with  songs  of 
holy  triumph.  Nor  was  it  in  his  chamber  alone  that  these 
voices  were  heard,  but  in  all  the  royal  alcazars  of  Seville,  the 
sweetest  voices  were  heard  in  the  air  and  seraphic  music,  as 
of  angelic  choirs,  at  the  moment  that  the  sainted  king  ex 
pired.*  He  died  on  the  30th  of  May,  the  vespers  of  the  Holy 
Trinity,  in  the  year  of  the  Incarnation  one  thousand  two  hun 
dred  and  forty-two,  aged  seventy-three  years,  —  having  reigned 
thirty-five  years  over  Castile  and  twenty  over  Leon. 

*  Pablo  de  Espinosa,  Grandesas  de  SeviUa,  folio  146.    Cronica  del  Santo  Key, 
c.  78.     Corona  Gotica,  T.  3,  p.  166. 


CHRONICLE    OF   FERNANDO    THE    SAINT.  451 

Two  days  after  his  death,  he  was  interred  in  his  royal  chapel 
in  the  Holy  Church,  in  a  sepulchre  of  alabaster  which  still 
remains.  It  is  asserted  by  grave  authors  that  at  the  time  of 
putting  his  body  in  the  sepulchre,  the  choir  of  angels  again 
was  heard  chanting  his  eulogium,  and  filling  the  air  with 
sweet  melody  in  praise  of  his  virtues.* 

When  Alhamar,  the  Moorish  King  of  Granada,  heard  of 
his  death,  he  caused  great  demonstrations  of  mourning  to  be 
made  throughout  his  dominions.  During  his  life  he  sent  yearly 
a  number  of  Moors  with  one  hundred  wax  tapers,  to  assist  at 
his  exequies,  which  ceremony  was  observed  by  his  successors, 
until  the  time  of  the  conquest  of  Granada  by  Fernando  the 
Catholic.t 

*  Argoti  de  Molina,  Nobleza  de  Andalwda,  L.  1,  c.  21.    Tomas  Bocio,  Signales 
de  la  fglesin,  L.  20.    Don  Rodrigo  Sanchez,  Bishop  of  Palencia,  part  3,  c.  40. 
t  Pablo  de  Espinosa,  folio  146. 


SPANISH    ROMANCE. 


SPANISH    ROMANCE. 


To  the  Editor  of  "  The  Knickerbocker  "  : 

SIR,  —  I  have  already  given  you  a  legend  or  two,  drawn  from 
ancient  Spanish  sources,  and  may  occasionally  give  you  a  few 
more.  I  love  these  old  Spanish  themes,  especially  when  they 
have  a  dash  of  the  Morisco  in  them,  and  treat  of  the  times 
when  the  Moslems  maintained  a  foothold  in  the  peninsula. 
They  have  a  high,  spicy,  Oriental  flavor,  not  to  be  found  in  any 
other  themes  that  are  merely  European.  In  fact,  Spain  is  a 
country  that  stands  alone  in  the  midst  of  Europe,  —  severed  in 
habits,  manners,  and  modes  of  thinking,  from  all  its  continental 
neighbors.  It  is  a  romantic  country ;  but  its  romance  has  none 
of  the  sentimentality  of  modern  European  romance ;  it  is 
chiefly  derived  from  the  brilliant  regions  of  the  East,  and  from 
the  high-minded  school  of  Saracenic  chivalry. 

The  Arab  invasion  and  conquest  brought  a  higher  civilization, 
and  a  nobler  style  of  thinking  into  Gothic  Spain.  The  Arabs 
were  a  quick-witted,  sagacious,  proud-spirited,  and  poetical  peo 
ple,  and  were  imbued  with  Oriental  science  and  literature. 
Wherever  they  established  a  seat  of  power,  it  became  a  rally- 
ing-place  for  the  learned  and  ingenious  ;  and  they  softened  and 
refined  the  people  whom  they  conquered.  By  degrees,  oc 
cupancy  seemed  to  give  them  a  hereditary  right  to  their  foot 
hold  in  the  land ;  they  ceased  to  be  looked  upon  as  invaders, 


456  SPANISH    ROMANCE. 

and  were  regarded  as  rival  neighbors.  The  peninsula,  broken 
up  into  a  variety  of  states,  both  Christian  and  Moslem,  became, 
for  centuries,  a  great  campaigning  ground,  where  the  art  of  war 
seemed  to  be  the  principal  business  of  man,  and  was  carried  to 
the  highest  pitch  of  romantic  chivalry.  The  original  ground  of 
hostility,  a  difference  of  faith,  gradually  lost  its  rancor.  Neigh 
boring  states,  of  opposite  creeds,  were  occasionally  linked  to 
gether  in  alliances,  offensive  and  defensive ;  so  that  the  Cross 
and  Crescent  were  to  be  seen  side  by  side,  fighting  against  some 
common  enemy.  In  times  of  peace,  too,  the  noble  youth  of  either 
faith  resorted  to  the  same  cities,  Christian  or  Moslem,  to  school 
themselves  in  military  science.  Even  in  the  temporary  truces 
of  sanguinary  wars,  the  warriors  who  had  recently  striven  to 
gether  in  the  deadly  conflicts  of  the  field,  laid  aside  their 
animosity,  met  at  tournaments,  jousts,  and  other  military  fes 
tivities,  and  exchanged  the  courtesies  of  gentle  and  generous 
spirits.  Thus  the  opposite  races  became  frequently  mingled 
together  in  peaceful  intercourse,  or  if  any  rivalry  took  place,  it 
was  in  those  high  courtesies  and  nobler  acts  which  bespeak  the 
accomplished  cavalier.  Warriors,  of  opposite  creeds,  became 
ambitious  of  transcending  each  other  in  magnanimity  as  well 
as  valor.  Indeed,  the  chivalric  virtues  were  refined  upon  to  a 
degree  sometimes  fastidious  and  constrained ;  but  at  other  times 
inexpressibly  noble  and  affecting.  The  annals  of  the  times  teem 
with  illustrious  instances  of  high-wrought  courtesy,  romantic 
generosity,  lofty  disinterestedness,  and  punctilious  honor,  that 
warm  the  very  soul  to  read  them.  These  have  furnished 
themes  for  national  plays  and  poems,  or  have  been  celebrated 
in  those  all-pervading  ballads,  which  are  as  the  life-breath  of 
the  people,  and  thus  have  continued  to  exercise  an  influence 
on  the  national  character  which  centuries  of  vicissitude  and 


SPANISH    ROMANCE.  *          457 

decline  have  not  been  able  to  destroy ;  so  that,  with  all  their 
faults,  and  they  are  many,  the  Spaniards,  even  at  the  present 
day,  are.  on  many  points,  the  most  high-minded  and  proud 
spirited  people  of  Europe.  It  is  true,  the  romance  of  feeling 
derived  from  the  sources  I  have  mentioned  has,  like  all  other 
romance,  its  affectations  and  extremes.  It  renders  the  Spaniard 
at  times  pompous  and  grandiloquent ;  prone  to  carry  the 
"  pundonor,"  or  point  of  honor,  beyond  the  bounds  of  sober 
sense  and  sound  morality ;  disposed,  in  the  midst  of  poverty, 
to  affect  the  "grande  caballero,"  and  to  look  down  with  sover 
eign  disdain  upon  "  arts  mechanical,"  and  all  the  gainful  pur 
suits  of  plebeian  life  :  but  this  very  inflation  of  spirit,  while  it 
fills  his  brain  with  vapors,  lifts  him  above  a  thousand  mean 
nesses  ;  and  though  it  often  keeps  him  in  indigence,  ever  pro 
tects  him  from  vulgarity. 

In  the  present  day,  when  popular  literature  is  running  into 
the  low  levels  of  life,  and  luxuriating  on  the  vices  and  follies 
of  mankind ;  and  when  the  universal  pursuit  of  gain  is  tram 
pling  down  the  early  growth  of  poetic  feeling,  and  wearing  out 
the  verdure  of  the  soul,  I  question  whether  it  would  not  be 
of  service  for  the  reader  occasionally  to  turn  to  these  records 
of  prouder  times  and  loftier  modes  of  thinking,  and  to  steep 
himself  to  the  very  lips  in  old  Spanish  romance. 

For  my  own  part,  I  have  a  shelf  or  two  of  venerable,  parch 
ment-bound  tomes,  picked  up  here  and  there  about  the  penin 
sula,  and  filled  with  chronicles,  plays,  and  ballads,  about  Moors 
and  Christians,  which  I  keep  by  me  as  mental  tonics,  in  the 
same  way  that  a  provident  housewife  has  her  cupboard  of  cor 
dials.  Whenever  I  find  my  mind  brought  below  par,  by  the 
commonplace  of  e very-day  life,  or  jarred  by  the  sordid  col 
lisions  of  the  world,  or  put  out  of  tune  by  the  shrewd  selfish- 


458 


SPANISH    ROMANCE. 


ness  of  modern  utilitarianism,  I  resort  to  these  venerable  tomes, 
as  did  the  worthy  hero  of  La  Mancha  to  his  books  of  chiv 
alry,  and  refresh  and  tone  up  my  spirit,  by  a  deep  draught  of 
their  contents.  They  have  some  such  effect  upon  me  as  Fal- 
staff  ascribes  to  a  good  Sherris  sack,  "  warming  the  blood,  and 
filling  the  brain  with  fiery  and  delectable  shapes." 

I  here  subjoin,  Mr.  Editor,  a  small  specimen  of  the  cordials 
I  have  mentioned,  just  drawn  from  my  Spanish  cupboard, 
which  I  recommend  to  your  palate.  If  you  find  it  to  your 
taste,  you  may  pass  it  on  to  your  readers. 

Your  correspondent  and  well-wisher, 

GEOFFREY  CRAYON. 


SPANISH    ROMANCE.  459 


LEGEND  OF  DON  MUNIO  SANCHO  DE  HINOJOSA. 

IN  the  cloisters  of  the  ancient  Benedictine  convent  of  San 
Domingo,  at  Silos,  in  Castile,  are  the  mouldering  yet  mag 
nificent  monuments  of  the  once  powerful  and  chivalrous  family 
of  Hinojosa.  Among  these  reclines  the  marble  figure  of  a 
knight,  in  complete  armor,  with  the  hands  pressed  together,  as 
if  in  prayer.  On  one  side  of  his  tomb  is  sculptured  in  relief 
a  band  of  Christian  cavaliers  capturing  a  cavalcade  of  male 
and  female  Moors ;  on  the  other  side,  the  same  cavaliers  are 
represented  kneeling  before  an  altar.  The  tomb,  like  most 
of  the  neighboring  monuments,  is  almost  in  ruins,  and  the 
sculpture  is  nearly  unintelligible,  excepting  to  the  keen  eye  of 
the  antiquary.  The  story  connected  with  the  sepulchre,  how 
ever,  is  still  preserved  in  the  old  Spanish  chronicles,  and  is 
to  the  following  purport. 

In  old  times,  several  hundred  years  ago,  there  was  a  noble 
Castilian  cavalier,  named  Don  Munio  Sancho  de  Hinojosa, 
lord  of  a  border  castle,  which  had  stood  the  brunt  of  many  a 
Moorish  foray.  He  had  seventy  horsemen  as  his  household 
troops,  all  of  the  ancient  Castilian  proof;  stark  warriors,  hard 
riders,  and  men  of  iron :  with  these  he  scoured  the  Moorish 
lands,  and  made  his  name  terrible  throughout  the  borders. 
His  castle  hall  was  covered  with  banners  and  scimitars  and 
Moslem  helms,  the  trophies  of  his  prowess.  Don  Munio  was, 


460  SPANISH   ROMANCE. 

moreover,  a  keen  huntsman  ;  and  rejoiced  in  hounds  of  all 
kinds,  steeds  for  the  chase,  and  hawks  for  the  towering  sport 
of  falconry.  When  not  engaged  in  warfare,  his  delight  was 
to  beat  up  the  neighboring  forests ;  and  scarcely  ever  did  he 
ride  forth  without  hound  and  horn,  a  boar-spear  in  his  hand, 
or  a  hawk  upon  his  fist,  and  an  attendant  train  of  hunts 
men. 

His  wife,  Donna  Maria  Palacin,  was  of  a  gentle  and  timid 
nature,  little  fitted  to  be  the  spouse  of  so  hardy  and  adven 
turous  a  knight;  and  many  a  tear  did  the  poor  lady  shed 
when  he  sallied  forth  upon  his  daring  enterprises,  and  many 
a  prayer  did  she  offer  up  for  his  safety. 

As  this  doughty  cavalier  was  one  day  hunting,  he  stationed 
himself  in  a  thicket,  on  the  borders  of  a  green  glade  of  the 
forest,  and  dispersed  his  followers  to  rouse  the  game  and 
drive  it  towards  his  stand.  He  had  not  been  here  long  when 
a  cavalcade  of  Moors,  of  both  sexes,  came  pranking  over 
the  forest  lawn.  They  were  unarmed,  and  magnificently 
dressed  in  robes  of  tissue  and  embroidery,  rich  shawls  of 
India,  bracelets  and  anklets  of  gold,  and  jewels  that  sparkled 
in  the  sun. 

At  the  head  of  this  gay  cavalcade  rode  a  youthful  cavalier, 
superior  to  the  rest  in  dignity  and  loftiness  of  demeanor,  and 
in  splendor  of  attire ;  beside  him  was  a  damsel,  whose  veil, 
blown  aside  by  the  breeze,  displayed  a  face  of  surpassing 
beauty,  and  eyes  cast  down  in  maiden  modesty,  yet  beaming 
with  tenderness  and  joy. 

Don  Munio  thanked  his  stars  for  sending  him  such  a  prize, 
and  exulted  at  the  thought  of  bearing  home  to  his  wife  the 
glittering  spoils  of  these  infidels.  Putting  his  hunting-horn 
to  his  lips,  he  gave  a  blast  that  rung  through  the  forest  His 


SPANISH   ROMANCE.  461 

huntsmen  came  running  from  all  quarters,  and  the  astonished 
Moors  were  surrounded  and  made  captives. 

The  beautiful  Moor  wrung  her  hands  in  despair,  and  her 
female  attendants  uttered  the  most  piercing  cries.  The  young 
Moorish  cavalier  alone  retained  self-possession.  He  inquired 
the  name  of  the  Christian  knight  who  commanded  this  troop 
of  horsemen.  When  told  that  it  was  Don  Munio  Sancho  de 
Hinojosa,  his  countenance  lighted  up.  Approaching  that  cava 
lier,  and  kissing  his  hand,  "  Don  Munio  Sancho,"  said  he, 
"  I  have  heard  of  your  fame  as  a  true  and  valiant  knight, 
terrible  in  arms,  but  schooled  in  the  noble  virtues  of  chivalry. 
Such  do  I  trust  to  find  you.  In  me  you  behold  Abadil,  son 
of  a  Moorish  alcayde.  I  am  on  the  way  to  celebrate  my 
nuptials  with  this  lady ;  chance  has  thrown  us  in  your  power, 
but  I  confide  in  your  magnanimity.  Take  all  our  treasure 
and  jewels ;  demand  what  ransom  you  think  proper  for  our 
persons,  but  suffer  us  not  to  be  insulted  or  dishonored." 

When  the  good  knight  heard  this  appeal,  and  beheld  the 
beauty  of  the  youthful  pair,  his  heart  was  touched  with  tender 
ness  and  courtesy.  "  God  forbid,"  said  he,  "  that  I  should 
disturb  such  happy  nuptials.  My  prisoners  in  troth  shall  ye 
be,  for  fifteen  days,  and  immured  within  my  castle,  where  I 
claim,  as  conqueror,  the  right  of  celebrating  your  espousals." 

So  saying,  he  dispatched  one  of  his  fleetest  horsemen  in 
advance,  to  notify  Donna  Maria  Palacin  of  the  coming  of 
this  bridal  party;  while  he  and  his  huntsmen  escorted  the 
cavalcade,  not  as  captors,  but  as  a  guard  of  honor.  As  they 
drew  near  to  the  castle,  the  banners  were  hung  out,  and  the 
trumpets  sounded  from  the  battlements ;  and  on  their  nearer 
approach,  the  drawbridge  was  lowered,  and  Donna  Maria 
came  forth  to  meet  them,  attended  by  her  ladies  and  knights, 


462  SPANISH    ROMANCE. 

her  pages  and  her  minstrels.  She  took  the  young  bride, 
Allifra,  in  her  arms,  kissed  her  with  the  tenderness  of  a  sis 
ter,  and  conducted  her  into  the  castle.  In  the  mean  time, 
Don  Munio  sent  forth  missives  in  every  direction,  and  had 
viands  and  dainties  of  all  kinds  collected  from  the  country 
round ;  and  the  wedding  of  the  Moorish  lovers  was  celebrated 
with  all  possible  state  and  festivity.  For  fifteen  days  the 
castle  was  given  up  to  joy  and  revelry.  There  were  tiltings 
and  jousts  at  the  ring,  and  bull-fights,  and  banquets,  and 
dances  to  the  sound  of  minstrelsy.  When  the  fifteen  days 
were  at  an  end,  he  made  the  bride  and  bridegroom  mag 
nificent  presents,  and  conducted  them  and  their  attendants 
safely  beyond  the  borders.  Such,  in  old  times,  were  the 
courtesy  and  generosity  of  a  Spanish  cavalier. 

Several  years  after  this  event,  the  King  of  Castile  summoned 
his  nobles  to  assist  him  in  a  campaign  against  the  Moors. 
Don  Munio  Sancho  was  among  the  first  to  answer  to  the  call, 
with  seventy  horsemen,  all  stanch  and  well-tried  warriors. 
His  wife,  Donna  Maria,  hung  about  his  neck.  "Alas,  my 
lord ! "  exclaimed  she,  "  how  often  wilt  thou  tempt  thy  fate, 
and  when  will  thy  thirst  for  glory  be  appeased?" 

"  One  battle  more,"  replied  Don  Munio,  "  one  battle  more, 
for  the  honor  of  Castile,  and  I  here  make  a  vow  that  when 
this  is  over,  I  will  lay  by  my  sword,  and  repair  with  my  cava 
liers  in  pilgrimage  to  the  sepulchre  of  our  Lord  at  Jerusalem." 
The  cavaliers  all  joined  with  him  in  the  vow,  and  Donna  Maria 
felt  in  some  degree  soothed  in  spirit ;  still,  she  saw  with  a 
heavy  heart  the  departure  of  her  husband,  and  watched  his 
banner  with  wistful  eyes,  until  it  disappeared  among  the  trees 
of  the  forest. 

The  King  of  Castile  led  his  army  to  the  plains  of  Salmanara, 


SPANISH    ROMANCE.  463 

where  they  encountered  the  Moorish  host,  near  to  Ucles.  The 
battle  was  long  and  bloody ;  the  Christians  repeatedly  wavered, 
and  were  as  often  rallied  by  the  energy  of  their  commanders. 
Don  Munio  was  covered  with  wounds,  but  refused  to  leave 
the  field.  The  Christians  at  length  gave  way,  and  the  king 
was  hardly  pressed,  and  in  danger  of  being  captured. 

Don  Munio  called  upon  his  cavaliers  to  follow  him  to  the 
rescue.  "  Now  is  the  time,"  cried  he,  "  to  prove  your  loyalty. 
Fall  to,  like  brave  men  !  We  fight  for  the  true  faith,  and  if 
we  lose  our  lives  here,  we  gain  a  better  life  hereafter." 

Rushing  with  his  men  between  the  king  and  his  pursuers, 
they  checked  the  latter  in  their  career,  and  gave  time  for  their 
monarch  to  escape  ;  but  they  fell  victims  to  their  loyalty.  They 
all  fought  to  the  last  gasp.  Don  Munio  was  singled  out  by  a 
powerful  Moorish  knight,  but  having  been  wounded  in  the 
right  arm,  he  fought  to  disadvantage,  and  was  slain.  The 
battle  being  over,  the  Moor  paused  to  possess  himself  of  the 
spoils  of  this  redoubtable  Christian  warrior.  When  he  un 
laced  the  helmet,  however,  and  beheld  the  countenance  of  Don 
Munio,  he  gave  a  great  cry,  and  smote  his  breast.  "  Woe  is 
me ! "  cried  he ;  "I  have  slain  my  benefactor !  the  flower 
of  knightly  virtue  !  the  most  magnanimous  of  cavaliers ! " 

While  the  battle  had  been  raging  on  the  plain  of  Salmanara, 
Donna  Maria  Palacin  remained  in  her  castle,  a  prey  to  the 
keenest  anxiety.  Her  eyes  were  ever  fixed  on  the  road  that 
led  from  the  country  of  the  Moors,  and  often  she  asked  the 
watchman  of  the  tower,  "  What  seest  thou  ?  " 

One  evening,  at  the  shadowy  hour  of  twilight,  the  warden 
sounded  his  horn.  "  I  see,"  cried  he,  "  a  numerous  train  wind 
ing  up  the  valley.  There  are  mingled  Moors  and  Christians. 


464  SPANISH    ROMANCE. 

The  banner  of  my  lord  is  in  the  advance.  Joyful  tidings ! " 
exclaimed  the  old  seneschal ;  "  my  lord  returns  in  triumph,  and 
brings  captives ! "  Then  the  castle  courts  rang  with  shouts 
of  joy ;  and  the  standard  was  displayed,  and  the  trumpets 
were  sounded,  and  the  drawbridge  was  lowered,  and  Donna 
Maria  went  forth  with  her  ladies,  and  her  knights,  and  her 
pages,  and  her  minstrels,  to  welcome  her  lord  from  the  wars. 
But  as  the  train  drew  nigh,  she  beheld  a  sumptuous  bier, 
covered  with  black  velvet,  and  on  it  lay  a  warrior,  as  if  tak 
ing  his  repose  ;  he  lay  in  his  armor,  with  his  helmet  on  his. 
head,  and  his  sword  in  his  hand,  as  one  who  had  never  been 
conquered,  and  around  the  bier  were  the  escutcheons  of  the 
house  of  Hinojosa. 

A  number  of  Moorish  cavaliers  attended  the  bier,  with  em 
blems  of  mourning  and  with  dejected  countenances;  and 
their  leader  cast  himself  at  the  feet  of  Donna  Maria,  and 
hid  his  face  in  his  hands.  She  beheld  in  him  the  gallant 
Abadil,  whom  she  had  once  welcomed  with  his  bride  to  her 
castle,  but  who  now  came  with  the  body  of  her  lord,  whom  he 
had  unknowingly  slain  in  battle  ! 

The  sepulchre  erected  in  the  cloisters  of  the  Convent  of 
San  Domingo  was  achieved  at  the  expense  of  the  Moor 
Abadil,  as  a  feeble  testimony  of  his  grief  for  the  death  of 
the  good  knight  Don  Munio,  and  his  reverence  for  his  mem 
ory.  The  tender  and  faithful  Donna  Maria  soon  followed  her 
lord  to  the  tomb.  On  one  of  the  stones  of  a  small  arch,  be 
side  his  sepulchre,  is  the  following  simple  inscription  :  "  Hie 
jacet  Maria  Palacin,  uxor  Munonis  Sancij  De  Hinojosa : " 
Here  lies  Maria  Palacin,  wife  of  Munio  Sancho  de  Hinojosa. 
•  The  legend  of  Don  Munio  Sancho  does  not  conclude  with 


SPANISH  ROMANCE.  465 

his  death.  On  the  same  day  on  which  the  battle  took  place 
on  the  plain  of  Salmanara,  a  chaplain  of  the  Holy  Temple 
at  Jerusalem,  while  standing  at  the  outer  gate,  beheld  a  train 
of  Christian  cavaliers  advancing,  as  if  in  pilgrimage.  The 
chaplain  was  a  native  of  Spain,  and  as  the  pilgrims  ap 
proached,  he  knew  the  foremost  to  be  Don  Munio  Sancho 
de  Hinojosa,  with  whom  he  had  been  well  acquainted  in  for 
mer  times.  Hastening  to  the  patriarch,  he  told  him  of  the 
honorable  rank  of  the  pilgrims  at  the  gate.  The  patriarch, 
therefore,  went  forth  with  a  grand  procession  of  priests  and 
monks,  and  received  the  pilgrims  with  all  due  honor.  There 
were  seventy  cavaliers,  beside  their  leader,  all  stark  and  lofty 
warriors.  They  carried  their  helmets  in  their  hands,  and  their 
faces  were  deadly  pale.  They  greeted  no  one,  nor  looked 
either  to  the  right  or  to  the  left,  but  entered  the  chapel,  and 
kneeling  before  the  Sepulchre  of  our  Saviour,  performed  their 
orisons  in  silence.  When  they  had  concluded,  they  rose  as  if 
to  depart,  and  the  patriarch  and  his  attendants  advanced  to 
speak  to  them,  but  they  were  no  more  to  be  seen.  Every  one 
marvelled  what  could  be  the  meaning  of  this  prodigy.  The 
patriarch  carefully  noted  down  the  day,  and  sent  to  Castile 
to  learn  tidings  of  Don  Munio  Sancho  de  Hinojosa.  He  re 
ceived  for  reply,  that  on  the  very  day  specified  that  worthy 
knight,  with  seventy  of  his  followers,  had  been  slain  in  battle. 
These,  therefore,  must  have  been  the  blessed  spirits  of  those 
Christian  warriors,  come  to  fulfil  their  vow  of  a  pilgrimage  to 
the  Holy  Sepulchre  at  Jerusalem.  Such  was  Castilian  faith  in 
the  olden  time,  which  kept  its  word,  even  beyond  the  grave. 
If  any  one  should  doubt  of  the  miraculous  apparition  of 
these  phantom  knights,  let  him  consult  the  "  History  of  the 

VOL.   I.  21 


466  SPANISH    ROMANCE. 

Kings  of  Castile  and  Leon,"  by  the  learned  and  pious  Fray 
Prudencio  de  Sandoval,  Bishop  of  Pamplona,  where  he  will 
find  it  recorded  in  the  History  of  the  King  Don  Alonzo  VI., 
on  the  hundred  and  second  page.  It  is  too  precious  a  legend 
to  be  lightly  abandoned  to  the  doubter. 


END  OF  VOL.  I. 


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